Broken
by VerySpecialSnowflake
Summary: Synopsis: Ford is old. Like current age old. Stanley has gone to live with the twins in Piedmont, and the Mystery Shack has closed its doors. This leaves Ford by himself in a big house.. He still makes contact with Dipper and Mabel, and even Stan but is alone a lot. That is, until someone stumbles upon him.
1. Chapter 1

He poked at the toaster, unsure of how to work it. Stanley said it was broken before he left; perhaps he should have left instructions as to how it worked. He conjectured he wouldn't have time to disclose it when he was in a rush to get to Piedmont, leaving Ford by himself in this little shack. Ford, of course, wanted Stanley gone and Stanley was more than keen to live with Dipper and Mabel. His eyes went downcast when his mind stumbled over this hurdle of a thought, and quickly shook his head, changing the subject of thought. The guilt of disowning his brother proved to be too much at the moment. He added the toaster onto a long list of broken things that needed fixing.

Ford crossed the room and mercifully rested his legs on the chair in the kitchen. The man had been rushing about his lab for days now, and every fiber of his being ached with it. He looked as the other four chairs were empty, the spirit that once filled them a visible echo. He could practically see the spirits of the vessels that the chairs once cradled. Mabel would be at the far end, bouncing with energy. Dipper's eyes would've been filled with a wanderlust and admiration that was directed at Ford. Stanley would be ignoring the scene with a dismissed complexity, but a look of resentfulness, even pain laid underneath. One would've assumed that it was thirty years of time in the portal that gave him this incredible skill, but no. Ford developed this skill long before the portal and far after it. Some would have deemed Ford special for seeing the world in this manner. However Ford knew that to see the world in this light, one had to truly experience heartbreak, sorrow. The emotion was all too familiar to Ford.

He finally looked up at the window. There was nothing more than a grey sky, a sky that made everything under it a light grey color. The sun still made its presence known, but for the most part, the sky was nothing more than a blank canvas. He continued to look to it, finding himself nothing more than abject boredom. Eventually the sky disinterested him and his eyes flickered the kitchen once again. They continued to dart about the room, from the broken toaster to the phantom livelihoods in the chair. His thoughts shifted from one object to another.

Time passed as the boredom weighed on his person physically, making him wilt further and further until he put his head in his hands. Living like this was depressing, if Ford was honest with himself. The silence was the loudest thing in the room, and the will of his voice was buried deep inside his throat. It wasn't resurfacing anytime today. He began to take note of his irregular breathing. It was probably due to the ten minutes of sleep he got last night. His eyes were wide open despite this, but it was the illusion of energy that kept Ford awake. Of course Ford chose not to acknowledge this truth. He didn't want to fall asleep. He knew exactly what he'd wake up to the same exact thing- a vacant house his brother practically owned. A vacant house that once had what remained of Ford's family. A vacant house with phantom laughter, joy, sadness and the like, and its absence nearly pained Ford to hear. A vacant house he wished so desperately to be occupied again. A vacant house he suffered in again.

He wasn't sure why all his melodrama had to weigh down on him today. It was totally fine yesterday. He read a book he hadn't seen in 30 years, and finally ate something for the first time in about three days. He washed his sweater and stopped wearing his coat. Yesterday was a productive day. Now his melodramatic and perhaps sentimental thoughts were pressing down on him like a ton of bricks. Ford was urged a while ago that to get help; Stan even gave him a psychiatrist's number. But due to his stubbornness he never went. Ford was reluctant to see a professional. He wasn't sure if he had successfully put the portal behind him, let alone the severed family ties and aftermath of Weirdmageddon. Ford wasn't sure if he could let something like that out of him- perhaps he'd remain guarded forever.

Ford's illusion of energy was gone and he collapsed on his brother's chair. The man slept shamelessly.

It had been about nine in the morning when Ford fell asleep. He adjusted his glasses and glanced at the clock- one in the morning. How had he slept for 13 hours? It was clearly well-deserved, in his mind. He hadn't gotten so much sleep since the night after Weirdmageddon. The melodrama was not going to weigh him down today. It was a lie, and he knew this. But that was how Ford survived the past 40 years, by denying evident truths so that he would have something to keep him occupied.

Ford wondered what one does to keep himself occupied at one in the morning. A normal person would fall back asleep, but Ford knew that wasn't happening anytime soon. He lay back down in Stanley's uncomfortable arm chair, letting his body adjust to the awkward position he was in. He pretended to adjust when in reality he didn't.

It was so silent in his dark house, he could hear the locusts sing in a chorus outside. They were mesmerizing, with their high pitched squealing all in one single uproar to make one constant buzzing noise. It was a rather melodious noise, and Ford found himself losing track of his thoughts as he did so.

Through the white noise the locusts created, Ford heard a distinct noise that stood out. It was barely audible, and then it got more prominent. He introduced motion back into his body as he stood.

The knock had come from the gift shop of the former Mystery Shack; a place Ford was unfamiliar with. He opened the door and found a brown haired girl, with a dark complexion to compliment her green eyes. She was rather undressed for the weather, with nothing more than a sweater and pants wrapped around her figure. Her eyes were filled with anticipation and shock, to an extent. Ford looked past the girl and found a car with smoke pouring from the hood of it. It didn't take Ford very long to assess the situation. He looked back down at her, and she extended a shaky and withered hand out to him.

"H-hi," she stuttered, obviously frazzled. "I'm Ada...erm, you see, my car's broken down and I don't have any tools to fix it...d'you know the nearest mechanic?" Her voice was coarse, gravelly from thirst, and quite fearful.

Ford took her hand and shook it, feeling the cold that he conjectured was spread all across her petite figure.

"Ford," he said, remembering his obligation to speak. "Ford Pines. Erm, there's someone I can call for a mechanic, but I'm not sure how late they'll be in. It's one in the morning. Come inside, please, it's freezing."

The girl stepped inside the Shack, shivering but pleasantly surprised by the warmth the Shack radiated. She glanced about, obviously confused what a man like Ford would be doing in a shack like this. He attempted to explain, but his voice died in his throat and Ada spoke instead. She didn't seem to be talking directly to Ford, but rather out loud.

"Jesus, it's cold...could use another jacket," she shivered, hugging herself for warmth. She cocked her head and noticed Ford, who was still staring at her. She smiled shyly. "Sorry, I'm just really cold and-"

Ford held up a hand. Her eyes glossed over the hand. She was expecting it to have five fingers that she failed to see the sixth. He was surprised by this; everyone noticed the sixth finger. He paused a moment before speaking.

"Would you like something to drink? It's the least I can do." Stanley and Mabel were the ones to teach Ford this custom of offering a drink.

"Y-yes please." She stood up straight, now adjusting fully to the warmth of the Shack. "Get me whatever you've got."

Ford smiled, rather awkwardly, and he pushed through the door of the gift shop with the words 'employees only' on it. He didn't expect Ada to follow him, so was shocked thoroughly when he heard soft footsteps trail behind him on the plush carpet. She was smiling sheepishly when he turned around.

"Don't be alarmed," she raised her hand in almost insincere surrender. "I'm just following you to your kitchen."

"Very well," Ford mumbled passive aggressively, betraying the hospitality he had shown her moments ago. He walked through the threshold of the kitchen and started making coffee. It was the only warm beverage Ford knew how to make; he would give it to Mabel when she woke in the early hours of the morning and relied on it himself. Ada sat down at the kitchen table and made herself comfortable. Ford peered at her from the other side of the room, and found that she was returning that gaze with equalled curiosity.

"What brings you here at one in the morning?" Ford set the coffee mugs down, filled with black coffee. Ada took a hesitant sip, while Ford proceeded to down almost the entire drink in a couple sips. Ada was obviously unsettled, but composed herself and proceeded with a reasonable explanation.

"Well, I was looking for work, if I'm honest. I'm kind of in debt at the moment, so I decided to get a second job, which would help in paying it off. I'm also having trouble sleeping, so I check out potential workplaces to pass the time. My car broke down outside your house, and I panicked."

Ford nodded, not sure whether or not he believed what she said. He allowed his eyes to study the girl and her features. Her face was sunken in and tired. Ford guessed she was anywhere from her late twenties to early thirties, but her appearance may have fooled Ford slightly. Her voice was still gruff from dryness. Under the gruffness he could hear sincerity and maybe even a hint of melancholy. Her eyes hung heavy, and Ford could tell she was more than tired. The girl was downtrodden and exhausted, with rigid, lethargic movements that were attempting to be coordinated, but of course her own exhaustion gave way and he could see right through it. She blinked at a rapid pace, trying to keep herself awake. Ford almost felt a tinge of concern. Ada soon took notice of Ford's staring.

"What?" She asked this with a tremulous tone and querying eyes. Ford shook his head and mumbled a negative, attempting to shrug it off. She was obviously still puzzled, but proceeded to focus back on her coffee. After a few moments of deafening silence, she too was out of the beverage. The caffeine still hadn't kicked in, and Ada expressed her discontent with this.

"Well, you see, caffeine has a half life of only..." He trailed off, silenced by Ada's gaze.

"I don't care. I just want it to kick in," she yawned, "I-I haven't slept in a couple weeks." Her gloved hands were still gripped tight around the mug, shaking. Ford took notice of the tightness of the grip.

"Be careful, Ada, you're gonna break it," Ford cautioned.

This only made her grip tighter. Her bloodshot, yet weary eyes shot open. Her arms were tense as her knuckles turned white, her grip was so tight. Ford, seeing as she hadn't heeded his caution, took hold of her wrists and diverted them away from the mug-which would have been in danger of breaking if Ford hadn't seen.

Ada yanked her wrists away from Ford's and lost eye contact. She dug her elbows into the table and placed her head in her hands, her fingers tangling with her dark hair. Ford watched as she closed her eyes, but not voluntarily. She had closed her eyes because she simply couldn't keep them open any longer. Her once rigid elbows fell loose and she collapsed on the table. Sleep had claimed her at a remarkably quick pace. Ford felt himself become sleepy.

He left Ada undisturbed at the table and retired to Stan's armchair, where he had fallen asleep once before. He felt the caffeine from the coffee wear away slowly and drifted off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, I've decided what I want to do with my story. I'm going to split the overly long chapter into two parts, that way I don't have to write 3,000 words per chapter and you, the readers, don't have to have as much information crammed down your throat all at once. I've been having some difficulty with this story, so I apologize for the wait.**

A strikingly loud noise, almost similar to a gunshot, jolted Ford awake. He sprang into action, brought on by nightmares of his years in inter-dimensional travel. Ford dashed to the vending machine, fiddling with his watch in order to gain access to his study that laid behind it. Still in a state of panic and fear, Ford scrambled down to the elevator, anxiously waiting for it to reach the third level. His armory, which sat in a compartment under his desk, was filled with any weapon imaginable. From guns to knives to traps, he owned it. He scrambled for the first gun he saw and placed it on the holster he kept on his waist at all times. He rode back up to the ground level, bursting through the door leading out of the gift shop. He found himself aiming a high-tech rifle at his newest guest and a mechanic. Both were filled with fear as he shouted some hostile threat at them. This was extremely sobering to Ford. Embarrassed, he placed the gun back on the holster and recoiled quietly.

"U-erm, thank you, Ernie," Ada seemed almost embarrassed at Ford's outburst,"Call me back tomorrow to see what's wrong with my car.

"Ernie nodded and drove his towing truck away, taking Ada's car with him. Now it was just Ada and Ford, face to face. Ada gave him a look, specific look that would have had more emotional impact if they were closer.

"Are you crazy," she snapped.

"You could've killed us both!""I heard a loud noise. Thinking it was a gunshot, I felt the need to defend myself,"

Ford retorted."Why would you want to do that? There's no one out here in the middle of the woods!" Ada felt herself at the precipice of an argument.

Ford, now flustered and on the verge of anger, gripped Ada by her shoulders and stared her straight in the eyes. Ford could see legitimate fear in them.

"Listen, you don't know what I've been through, what I'm up against, and certainly not the environment I am forced to survive in. I'd shoot you in a heartbeat if I ever suspected you weren't a human!" His voice became louder and more furious as his sentence progressed.

"F-Ford stop, you're hurting me!" Ada was dangerously close to drew his hands back from Ada's shoulders.

He was hesitant to look at Ada, but he swallowed his pride and did. She seemed nearly horrified by Ford's actions. Shaking, she retreated back to the Shack. Ford's obligatory (but necessary) apology barely escaped his lips as he did so.

"I'm so sorry..." He knew Ada couldn't hear him, his voice was far too weak to carry.

He followed after Ada, who had already found her way through the house, as Ford had found her in the attic, where his niece and nephew used to be. She was reluctantly stuffing her belongings into a bag. Ford's presence went ignored until Ada made eye contact with him; it was a rather frightened stare. She quickly avoided his gaze, hoping to become invisible.

"Ada," he said, breaking the overwhelming silence, "I'm really sorry for what happened back there." He hung his head, much like he did when confronting something he would rather not.

"Sorry?" Ada scoffed. " You're not sorry," she spat. "You nearly killed me and Ernie, and then you just threaten to shoot me right in the middle of it all!"He gripped her shoulders, paying attention to how much force he was exerting. It was a lighter grip this time, sighing and eventually finding the nerve to look her straight in the eyes.

"Ada," he began, "I-I'm a paranoid old man. That's all I am, all I ever will become. I've seen and been through far too much to question, and you just have to be patient with me. I'll come to and explain it all someday. But for now, I'm afraid you must remain in the dark. N-"

"Why is this place empty?" Ada took notice of the two mattresses that laid unoccupied on opposite sides of the room.

"My niece and nephew used to live here in the summer," Ford started, removing his hands from Ada's shoulders. They slept up here in this attic."

"Where did they go?"

"They went back home to California for the school year," Ford said, his subconscious memories flooding back to his conscious mind. He was attempting to hide that he was still in the embryonic stages of grief.

Ada, as far as he was concerned, was oblivious to the fact. He kept explaining the roles of Dipper and Mabel after a pause that he believed wouldn't seem suspicious to her. Ada gave a hum of acknowledgement. Ford saw a look of legitimate concern on her face. Not pity, not sympathy, purely legitimate concern for him. Ford almost went as far to say that he saw fright, perhaps withdrawal. She was already scared of him for not knowing his own strengths. Perhaps it was that Ada was aware of what these children meant to Ford. She knew what he would endure for them, how much he was willing to sacrifice, how long he could wait for them. She was mindful of how much he cared about them, and that they were almost everything he had. But most of all, Ada was aware that their absence was killing him.A growing silence lingered between them. Ada's determination pierced through her awe and she continued to pack her things, which made the man in her company quirk an eyebrow.

"Leaving so soon," Ford asked, trying to hide the tremors in his speech. "Don't you need your car fixed?"

"I can find a motel," Ada replied, sighing. "I-I don't think I can stay here any longer, Ford."

Ford didn't have to be told why. He knew exactly of her intentions.

"Well, it's an awfully long walk from the Shack to town, I've made the trek before."

Ada was slowly hesitating as she slung her bag over her shoulder and crossed the threshold of the attic. A wave of panic swept Ford up as he followed Ada, wishing she would stay more and more. He was lonely and needed company from someone-anyone. She was now downstairs, about to exit the door in which she entered, before Ford called her name. She turned around, her gaze impatient.

"Ada...please stay."

His chest heaved as he spoke. He drew an aching breath, watching Ada's eyes as they studied Ford's features. What she saw in his eyes was unbearable; shame, guilt, remorse, despondency and loneliness. His look of sincerity was overwhelming. Ada felt a more tender side of her emerge as she dropped her bag to the floor and opened her mouth.

"Alright, deal." Ford winced a bit at that last word. "But if you try any more of this paranoia business, I'll walk right out that door, and I'm not coming back."

Ford's eyes lit up, genuine happiness masking his negative emotions with his lips quirking upward in a smile. Spurred on by a moment of pure sentiment, he pulled Ada into a whole hearted embrace. Ada froze in his grasp, almost resisting it. She let out a small gasp that Ford seemed to not hear. She attempted to wriggle free, and Ford let her go once she began to push against his chest, setting herself free.

"Not a hugger," Ada warned. "I don't hug."

"Oh, sorry," Ford smiled, sheepish. "My niece. She used to hug me a lot, and the habit grew on me." He chuckled, but his eyes revealed a broken spirit.

Ada smiled, possibly a fake one, when she heard the broken voice he tried to mask at the mention of his niece. She quickly changed the subject, expressing that she was hungry. Ford offered to cook, against his better judgement, seeing as he hadn't cooked in about 30 years and wasn't skilled at it in the first place. Ada, entirely unaware of this, agreed. She watched as the old man trudged to the kitchen while she went upstairs to unpack her belongings in the attic, where it was assumed she'd be sleeping. As she unpacked her belongings, she heard a noise coming from the downstairs. It sounded almost like a crackling sound, accompanied by the smell of smoke. Ada sprang into action, abandoning her previous action. She dashed down the stairs, stopping at the bottom step when she took sight of the large black cloud of smoke coming from the kitchen's threshold. Ada braved the smoke, crossing the threshold to find Ford, aiming a fire extinguisher at a pan on the stove.

"Ford," she shouted over the smoke. He didn't hear her. Ada stepped a little closer to him, close enough so she could nudge his shoulder.

"Ford," she tried again, and this time he finally paid attention. "W-what is this mess?"

"It isn't what it looks like," he replied, bashful.

Ada gave him a doubtful look, knowing he was trying to disguise the fact that he nearly burnt down his own house. Ada rolled her eyes at Ford's dumb enough grin.

"What were you trying to cook, anyway?" She glared at the pan, finding nothing but couple of burnt objects of what used to be food.

"Pancakes," came the reply. Ada found it totally normal to have pancakes, even in the later hours of the day while they were typically accepted as being eaten in the morning. Apparently Ford did as well.

She shrugged passively as Ford slid them from his spatula. She carried it to the table, and Ford followed suit. Ada tested her pancake's hardness, tapping it against her plate. It made a defined clinking noise against the ceramic. She couldn't help but smile at this. Ford smiled a bit as well, letting out a small chuckle as he did so.

"Yeah, I'm not that great of a cook."

"Evidently," she said, holding up a burnt pancake.

"You know, people told me at home I was a really good cook."

"Really," Ford queried, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure you're better than me."

His attempt at self-deprecatory humor somewhat amused Ada. She could tell that Ford was asking her to cook, in an underlying message. Ada received it clearly, and she strode over to the kitchen wordlessly. Ford was almost immediately content with the taste, praising her cooking with an instance that she appreciated. Ada never thought much of her flair for cooking; she hadn't even shared it with anyone else. Ford made her feel somewhat prideful on the inside, defined with an exterior smile.


	3. Chapter 3

_When Ford woke, he found himself in a place he hadn't seen in a long time. He only witnessed it during his 30 years in the portal, and he wished to never return. Ford stared in the face of death plenty of times here, and had cheated it every time. He considered it the victory of a coward to do such, to be spared from the face of death so easily._

 _Where Ford found himself was an execution room. He had been to many an execution room in his lifetime, but this one he found himself in was all too familiar. It was the only one he found himself so close to death he could taste it. He slipped into the comfortable trance of death, ready to end his life. But that occurrence, something that only happened 10 years ago, was far behind Ford. He didn't feel any better of a man then as he did now._

 _But something felt distinctly different._

 _It was almost as if the air of familiarity from the room was fading. It was slowly being drained out of the room, yet Ford remembered every detail of the room. He remembered the judge, the executioner, the eager onlookers, awaiting Ford's bloody death with hungry eyes. He remembered the dark walls stained with blood and the dim light that hung low over the room. It revealed a guillotine at the center of the room, complete with a bloody blade. Every detail was exactly as he left it all those years ago, panicked and grateful to be alive. He couldn't figure out the foreignness of this room. Why did it seem like such a distant memory?_

 _Then he saw it._

 _The figure at the guillotine, wrapped in a sweater and pants. The dark complexion was familiar to Ford. He recognized it immediately. Ada. Ada was at the hands of the executioner. She was going to die. The blade was already falling as pleas for her life came ripping from her throat. Ford attempted to dash into action, but he himself was being held back by a series of restraints. He looked down at them. Chains. Blue chains. Blue chains with a distinct glow around them and an iron grip. Then a gasp left him in realization. He was back. He returned, just as Ford had feared._

 _The blade fell onto Ada's neck and she died, right there in front of him. The man was accustomed to death after having witnessed it for so long, but the sight still made him cringe. He didn't have much time to give Ada's death consideration before he heard that familiar cackle come from the executioner's direction._

 _"Show yourself!" Ford found the will to speak. His mouth became dry when he spoke. What was intended to be an ordering shout came out as a hoarse squeak._

 _The demon on Ford's mind followed suit as he jumped out of the executioner's body, the world around them both turning gray._

 _"Well, well well," Bill greeted in his normal snappy tone. "It seems you've become a housekeeper for strays."_

 _Pent-up anger coursed through Ford at the shrill sound of Bill's voice. The will to speak didn't present itself. He only clenched his six-fingered hands into fists, a sign of aggression. Ford's face contorted into a look of disgust and anger, a summary of the emotions he felt toward the triangle._

 _"If you have nothing nice to say, don't say it at all," Bill teased. "Listen, Ford. I had no idea you would become so vulnerable over time. And I can't have my best pawn all hospitable and vulnerable at a time like this."_

 _"What are you planning?" The pent-up anger was slowly releasing itself._

 _"That's not important right now. What's important is that you stop getting so attached to Ada, or else there some major consequences coming your way, just you watch!"_

 _Ford felt the adrenaline, the rush of fear run through him, but chose not to give into it. He couldn't. Not around Bill. But before he could process anything, Bill vanished. The execution room, Ada's body and the dim lights began to fade..._

That was when Ford woke up, for real this time. He glanced around the room, the familiar surroundings of the Shack coming back. He was in Stan's arm chair. The TV was in front of him. A fish tank sat next to him along with the dinosaur skull he'd excavated from the ground years ago. It was then that Ford knew he was in the waking world. That meant Ada really was in Ford's care, probably upstairs where the kids once slept. It also meant that Bill was dead, a stone statue somewhere in the woods.

However, the emotion from the dream had not left Ford. He still felt the overwhelming need to protect Ada, to prevent her from the path of his mistakes and free her from Bill's grasp before it was too late. But he was dead, right? Ford considered Bill gone once before, and he was wrong. Who was to say that the same thing wouldn't happen again? He also remembered what he did last time he found himself in a situation as dire as this one. The thought-encrypting machine in the basement still worked. All Ford needed to do was turn it on. If he could convince Ada to go through with the encryption process, she would be off the hook! It was the perfect plan.

He made his way up to Ada's room. The stairs creaked beneath his heavy boots, and he tried not to make himself so obvious, but his weight and the age of the wood were working against him. Each step earned a louder creak, echoing throughout the house. He could only hope that Ada wouldn't notice.

The door swung open with an even louder creak. To Ford's relief, she was fast asleep on Dipper's former bed. He had not woken her. His boots continued to elicit small creaks from the wooden planks of the floors as he made his way over to the bedside, making no haste to nudge her awake. It took a couple of forceful nudges to her shoulder before she was finally awake, and then Ford explained everything to her in a rapid manner.

"Ada, I'm going to need you to come to the basement with me and I'll explain why on the way-"

"Ford, it's four in the morning," she grumbled as she sat up.

"I know, but it'll be worth it once we get down to the basement and-"

"Why do you want me to come down to the basement with you?" Her query was definitely suspicious, even hostile.

"I need to hook you up to this machine, which will bio-electrically encrypt your thoughts, and then you'll be safe from-"

"No," Ada stated in a deadpan tone. "I'm not coming with you."

"Ada, there isn't much time," Ford begged. "Please, I'll explain it to you if you just come with me."

"No, Ford. It's four in the morning, my car is probably getting fixed in the morning, and I want to at least get some sleep before that."

"Please, Ada." He gripped her arm. His tone was becoming more angry, and Ada could sense it.

"No!" She yanked her arm from Ford's grip. "This is just like yesterday," she huffed and stood up.

"I'm doing this to protect you," he shouted, his eyes growing vulnerable and his face taking on a desperate look.

"Oh," she replied in mock concern, "because you're a paranoid old man?!"

He sighed quickly. "Your life is in danger!"

"It is with you." Silence fell over the room when she said that. Ada angrily exited the room, taking her jacket with her. Ford watched as she stormed down the stairs and out the house in a hurry, probably thinking less than favorable things about Ford.

Ford sat on the bed Ada had once been sleeping in not even five minutes ago; he had to process what just happened. She refused protection. Her life was still in danger. Ford was still obligated to protect Ada. He was missing his chance by the minute, but it seemed to have made her uncomfortable with his original approach. Now she was off into the night. Ford winced at the idea of Bill doing anything to her, especially after seeing her get decapitated in his mind, a product of his own imagination.

Maybe Ada was right. Maybe it was just the paranoia.


	4. Chapter 4

"Can't trust men these days," Ada mumbled under her breath as she pushed out the Shack door. It slammed behind her, setting off a loud bang, the echo resonating into the night.

Ada stormed away from the scene as fast as her legs could take her. She was originally walking at a quick pace but it evolved into a full on sprint. She was determined to distance herself from Ford. Ford, the person who broke the brittle foundation of their friendship in the space of five minutes. Ford, the paranoid old man who doubled as a stalker. Who knows what was down in that basement, anyway? Whatever it was, Ada knew it wasn't any machine to bio electrically encrypt your thoughts. She didn't want to find out what Ford had concocted in his basement.

She just wanted to get away from him.

The long and winding road leading up to the Mystery Shack ended and Ada could finally see town. Despite the numerous streetlamps lighting every other section of the sidewalk, she couldn't help but be intimidated by the overcast darkness. But she couldn't let her fears of the dark hinder her, there were bigger fish to fry. As Ada made her way across the street and onto the dark sidewalk, the nearby streetlamps comforting her, she realized that she still needed a place to stay until morning. There had to be at least one public place to stay in Gravity Falls. Her eyes scanned the streets, finding nothing more than closed shops ready to open with the sun rising and permanently closed establishments, forgotten by time and by the people. This place was sleepier than she had first thought.

After turning for what seemed like the fourth corner since she had begun her journey, Ada finally found a place to stay. It was a motel at the very edge of town, defined with a vibrant red sign that boasted free wi-fi and hot breakfast. Desperate to get out of the cold, she hurried inside. The motel keeper checked her in almost too quickly, handing her a motel key before she could even get a proper greeting out.

Her room seemed homey enough. Sure, there was mildew on the floor and evidence of water damage on the ceiling and felt uninviting, but the bed was comfortable enough for Ada to make up for lost sleeping time. It squeaked underneath her weight when she crashed onto it. Though the bed in the Shack was by comparison much more comfortable than the one she was laying on, sleep claimed her without a fight.

Her eyes opened unceremoniously, ending a restless, dreamless night. Her eyelids were so heavy the weight alone could close them back on their own. She rolled over to check the time. 8 AM. She fell back and groaned. Ada was dead tired, a weight she could feel saturate her and physically confine her to the bed. Only one thought occupied her mind, and it was strong enough to will her from her state of tiredness.

 _I need to shower._

The shower was short yet refreshing. It was the first shower she had taken in a couple weeks, and she was all the more glad to have taken it. She felt slightly more awake, and the weight that she had been feeling minutes before was alleviated.

That was when she heard the crash.

Startled, Ada hurried out of the bathroom and to the window to look outside. The cause of the crash was all too apparent- a large, tree-like monster that left a footprint in the parking lot. A rush of panic and fear spurs Ada in a race to throw her clothes on and rush outside. All the other occupants of the motel had joined her, apparently. The scene was noisy, with everyone screaming and rushing to get to safety. The monster's foot had completely demolished the side of the complex opposite to Ada's and she knew that it was coming for her side next.

Her instincts told her to make a beeline for the exit and get into the clear, away from the motel. However, the foot of the beast was blocking that exit. The screaming of the occupants in the noise and confusion was obviously upsetting the monster. His enormous foot came toward the side of the building that Ada had been staying in. A scream of pure fear ripped from Ada's throat and all she could think to do was run. But the same fears inspiring her to run kept her firmly in place and she couldn't move.

The overcast of the monster's foot soon became all Ada could see. This was it. This was how Ada was to die, crushed by a beast of impossible proportions. She closed her eyes, bracing for the oncoming impact.

That is, until something swept her out from under her legs.

She gasped, then opened her eyes. The monster's foot came crashing down on the motel room where Ada had recently been sleeping. The person who had saved her was still holding her, probably until she recovered from the shock.

"Oh my god," she mumbled. Ada reached out, and felt fabric. Assuming it was her rescuer's shirt, she curled her fingers into it. "Thank you. Thank you so much..."

"You're welcome." She perked up at the voice. It was deep, authoritative. Ada poked her head up and met his eyes.

Ford had rescued her.

"W-what? You," she asked, flustered as she scrambled away from him. "How did you even get here?"

"I heard a noise coming from this direction and pursued it. I knew these kinds of creatures resided in Gravity Falls and wanted to see one for my-"

"What do you want," she demanded, cutting him off.

"You were almost killed by that monster!"

"So what, I'm just supposed to come back to you now that you've saved me?"

"What? That has nothing to do with- oh, forget it," he exclaimed, grabbing Ada's hand and dragging her away from where the monster continued to go on its rampage. They reached across the street before Ford began speaking again. "Your life was always in danger."

"It will be so long as I've got you," she deadpanned.

"Ugh! Will you just listen? Your life is being endangered by-"

"I don't want to hear it! There's nothing worthwhile for me down in that basement, and you know it!"

Ford grew angrier and opened his mouth to retort, but was soon interrupted by the foot that had recently endangered Ada's life coming between the pair of them.

"We have to defeat it," Ford shouted.

"How?!"

"We're going to have to lure this thing back into its home," he replied, gesturing to the forest.

"You mean-," he cut her off with an affirmative nod. "Wouldn't it just be easier to destroy the thing?"

Ford paused. "No."

"What? Why not," she asked as the monster retracted its foot, now smashing the building directly in front of Ada and Ford.

"Because that would release the whole colony of them."

"Oh my-Ford! We can't...ugh," she gave up on her sentence and paused, breathing in and out to regain her composure. She couldn't afford frustration right now.

"You're gonna have to lure it back in!"

"What?! How do I even...oh god."

The colossal monster's neck craned so their gazes could meet. Ada tried to rationalize this. She knew science well enough to know that a stare like that is one of intimidation. What did stares of intimidation mean? He was asserting dominance. She had to fight back and assert her dominance- but how?

"H-hey!" She shouted, attempting to sound sharp and authoritative. It came out as more of an awkward raise of her voice. "Hey, big guy!"

Once she was sure she had grabbed its attention, she began to step back. It didn't react.

"Hey big guy," she shouted, her voice growing with each word. "Come on!"

Ada's stepping turned into a run before she even knew what was happening. The monster followed her, but where exactly was she taking it? Her only thought was away from here. Anywhere but this motel in Gravity Falls.

She was soon in a full on sprint, terrified and high on adrenaline, as the beast chased after her. Ada had been well into the woods as she progressed, but could hear the tree branches and even saw a mighty redwood fall in front of her as she continued her sprint. The monster must have been causing that destruction.

"I can't go on," she mumbled to herself as exhaustion soon began to claim her. The whole running process had taken at least 45 minutes. Ada was never the best runner, nor did she have the best body type to go around. It became semi-easy for Ada to run out of breath and basically wheeze as she leaned against a tree. She watched another mighty redwood fall in front of her and she knew the monster was easily chasing after something else. A small smile crossed Ada's face, knowing she had lured it away successfully. Maybe that tree monster would join its brethren before he knew it.

"Ada?" She whipped her head around to find Ford. The lingering anger she had felt before their conversation was interrupted, followed by the adrenaline rush she had just experienced, made a peculiar mix of emotions- sadness, anger and most of all, defeat. Ada didn't want to argue with Ford anymore. She wasn't really sure what she wanted but she couldn't voice it. Instead, Ada fell silent, crossing her arms as she looked up at Ford (because he had to at least stand a good head above her).

"So, do you still think I'm dangerous?"

Ada sighed. Her decision appears to have already been made for her. "Yeah...but nothing I can't handle."

Ford's face split into a smile. "Does that mean you'll stay?"

"Yeah. I'll stay for a little while longer. But you do realize my stuff is completely destroyed?"

A look of temporary confusion came over Ford's face before turning to realization. "Oh! The monster must have destroyed everything! Well, it doesn't matter anyway, you can borrow some stuff at the house."

"I'd like that," Ada replied. They began their journey back to the Shack in silence. Ford had only assumed he repaired the fragile friendship temporarily, and he hoped that it would stay this way. He was growing to like the softer side of Ada.


	5. Chapter 5

**See the bottom for notes.**

A familiar warmth surrounded Ada once again. It made her smile, in an almost sentimental way. The look in her eye seemed distant from Ford's perspective, who still intended to protect her from the wrath of his former Muse. The determination had still not left his mind ever since he had bore witness to the death of the woman standing before him. The sight of her head falling victim to the bloody blade that his own head almost fell victim to had been horrifying. Out of everything Ford had seen in the multiverse, this had to be the absolute worst.

He was quickly getting attached to Ada.

Ada decided it would be best to settle back upstairs, and Ford followed her by some sort of impulse. Once they had reached the upstairs, Ada sat down on Dipper's former bed, now facing Ford.

"Any reason you followed me?" The statement wasn't meant to be as aggressive as it had sounded.

"You're still in danger," Ford replies, a well of confidence springing up within him. "We need to get you hooked up to that machine."

Ada's shoulders tighten for a moment, remembering the previous tension she has yet to let go of. She simultaneously sucks in a harsh breath. "I don't want to. But I will."

Ford forced a smile before extending his hand so that she could take his. Ada knew he was trying to be at least a little bit more hospitable and let him continue on with the charade. She glanced down at his hand- six fingers? He had six fingers and he didn't tell her? She didn't stare for too long, but rather fit her fingers between his as they made their way down to Ford's seclusive basement.

When they boarded the elevator, Ada began to get apprehensive. She still had lingering distrust about what Ford had told her was down here, but Ford kept gripping her hand. It was a comfort of sorts. The disquiet inside her didn't exactly fade, but rather was pushed aside when the elevator thudded on the second floor.

"Welcome to my private study," Ford said, in a quiet voice. "I used to keep all my most classified knowledge here, including the encrypting machine."

Ada glanced around, taking the scenery in. There were maps, rolled up and sitting behind the door, untouched by Ford. She saw a spiral staircase in the corner, and crystals sat on every other flat surface. As she began approaching the back of the room, she saw a carpet with a strange pattern woven onto it. The shape was strangely specific- a triangle with one eye. Maybe some sort of weird symbol? Decoration trend? She was at a loss.

"Ada," Ford said, almost stern and breaking her train of thought, "come along."

" _I'm not a child, Ford,"_ Ada doesn't say.

With a swift flick of his wrist, Ford activated the machine. The large monitor showed what appeared to be some sort of computer code in green light. A stool sat below her- a stool so small Ada didn't want to sit on for fear that she would break it with her weight-, forgotten by its owner.

"Hm," Ada hummed, wondering if she would actually have to seat herself in that stool.

When Ada glanced up, she saw a contraption she couldn't make sense of in Ford's hands. It appeared to be some kind of headgear, or maybe like one of those things those women always sit under at salons. She wasn't sure, but the metallic clang it made when he flipped the ribbed portion of it open couldn't have been good.

"Are you sure about this?"

The grave seriousness on Ford's face equaled a reply; it was evident she didn't need one.

" _Here goes nothing,"_ Ada doesn't say again as she sat down.

The headgear was placed firmly on her head. It didn't hurt, but was uncomfortable to wear no less. Ada turned to face the monitor.

"As I've explained, uh, previously, the designed purpose of this machine is to bio electrically encrypt your thoughts."

With the press of a button the machine came to life. "Say hello to your thoughts," Ford said, almost in a rehearsed manner.

Ada was frightened by it. She felt completely exposed, but at the same time it was fascinating. To have the ability to see another's thoughts was to have a power no one else would gain. Just imagine the possibilities!

"There is power in these sorts of inventions," Ford agrees, reading the thought across her mind. She almost forgot. He could see these things now. Any secret Ada had could easily slip out the crevice of her mind.

"So, who is this guy you're trying to protect me from?" Ada changed the subject, not wanting to concentrate on it too hard. A self fulfilling prophecy was the last thing she needed.

"It's not a _guy_ ," Ford chides, again in that rehearsed voice. "He's called Bill. Bill Cipher."

Ford produced a file with some papers in it. Ada opened the file and found news clippings, articles, drawings all about this Bill character. Glancing up at Ford, her internal thought had quite obviously slipped out.

'Ford isn't kidding around with this, is he?'

"No. I'm not." His tone was too solemn for her to ignore. "Bill is a serious matter, Ada. I hope you know the gravity of the situation."

'What situation?!'

Ford didn't reply to the outburst, but rather kept a closer eye on Ada's thoughts, waiting for the scanning process to complete. He saw flickers of a woman who had been through a lot; much like himself. But one name in particular caught his eye.

'God, if Harriet were here...'

"Who's Harriet?" Ford couldn't contain the curiosity. Ada was a complete mystery to him, and maybe this Harriet character would help him put some pieces of the puzzle together.

Ada winced. Her thoughts on the screen gave it away, but she still wanted to pretend like she was hiding from Ford. She had to hide Harriet from Ford.

'Harriet Freeman. Nice girl. Amazing, actually. Wish I'd gotten to tell her...'

Ford watched as the thought trailed off into nothing. Harriet Freeman? While he hadn't a clue who Harriet was- though he had a few guesses-, the longing in the thought was familiar. That yearning had a distinctness around it that Ford couldn't deny.

 _It's a sister. Harriet Freeman is her sister. Once close but now torn apart._

Ford couldn't let the guilt take chunks out of his soul now. This girl and her sister wouldn't remind him of Stanley. Ford was this way on his own volition; he wanted Stanley gone. He was sure Ada had made a similar decision; she was probably far from home. Maybe.

The machine dinged, Ada's thoughts completely encrypted. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Ada was safe, for now. While there were still precautions to be taken, at least Ford didn't have to live with the fear that Bill might ensnare Ada. He couldn't bear to live to see that.

Ford removed the helmet from Ada's head and she stood up. A certain vulnerability rested in her eyes. A new part of Ada had been revealed to him, the part he wasn't supposed to see- and he hadn't even seen half of it.

But little did she know that they both learned something that day.

 **Okay, so if any details about Ford's study were off, please forgive me. I've tried to write Ford's study three times now and no attempt so far has succeed. I can't ever remember what it looks like. It's also been a while since my last update.**


	6. Chapter 6

**This story isn't dead!**

The vending machine door swung open unceremoniously, revealing the ground level exactly as they had left it; dusty and virtually untouched. Ford knew the place was decaying, quick. He looked over to Ada, who was so uncomfortable it was tangible. She was as stiff as a board, with tensed up shoulders and rigid movements. She also kept silent as they exited the elevator, where Ford noticed the phone ringing. He decided to deal with Ada's discomfort later; it wasn't hard to guess why she was this uneasy. Instead, he picked up the phone.

"Hello? This is Stanford Pines."

"Hey, Great Uncle Ford." The voice on the other end filled him with joy while simultaneously making him sick to his stomach.

"Dipper," Ford asked, trying to hide the bitterness in his voice. He couldn't be reminded of his family. Not now. "What are y-"

"Did you remember that we're coming over for winter break?"

A stone thudded in his chest. He had been so caught up with Ada, he totally forgot of the family's previous plans to visit. Ford peered over to the corner as he nervously looked around the room. He saw Ada, looking at him as if she had seen a ghost. In this case, it was him that was the ghost.

"Y-yes," he lied, not wanting to seem defeated. "I did remember."

He kept his eyes on Ada as the silence over the phone grew. Dipper knew Ford was lying.

"Kids," he started, "n-now is really not a good time. Is there a way that you could visit me some other ti-"

"Too late!" The stone in his chest traveled to his stomach as he heard the other voice shriek at him over the line. Mabel. As if it wasn't awkward enough to be around her.

"We're already in the driveway," Dipper explained. Ford's eyes fell from the still frazzled Ada and to the floor.

 _Now could not be a worse time._ "Okay, kids. I'll see you in a bit, I guess." Ford hung up the phone a little too quickly.

He turned back to where Ada had been, but noticed her gone from her initial spot in the corner. Maybe she had gone upstairs. It would have to be dealt with later. There were bigger matters at hand. Dipper and Mabel didn't even bother knocking when they came to the door. Ford had already let them in.

The first to enter was Dipper, then Mabel, then Stan. Ford's breath almost caught when he saw Stan. He had completely forgotten Stan had gone to live with the twins. But he chose not to think about the wilting relationship with his twin and rather focus on what was really important- the remainder of the only family he had left. Being back with Dipper brought Ford a certain happiness he couldn't describe. He smiled, and Dipper mirrored it.

"Grunkle Ford! It's so nice to see you again, I have so much to tell you!" Dipper's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates as he pulled a book out of his vest. "So I after I got back home, I-"

His sentence was interrupted by a gruff cough, timed to the second, obviously. Ford didn't have to know the source. Stanley. He gave Ford a cold look before glancing around the Shack.

"Shack hasn't changed," he commented dryly. Stan kept glancing around the Shack, looking at everything except Ford. Dipper continued to bounce at Ford's heels, while Mabel stared quizzically at the top of the stairs.

"Grunkle Ford? Who's that?" She pointed up at Ada, who was frozen like a deer in headlights.

Before Ford could respond Mabel continues to question her. "Who are you? What are you doing here in the Shack?" Then a gasp escaped her, a companion to the dawning realization that washed over her. "Are you...Grunkle Ford's girlfriend?!"

Ada and Ford shot looks at one another. Both spoke at the same time, tripping over their own words as they tried to defend themselves. Mabel simply grinned between the both of them and interrupted the stuttering match.

"Guys, it's okay if you're not official. We can work the details out later."

"Mabel, I don't think they're dating." It was Dipper who had spoken. Ford was taken aback for a moment; had his voice gotten deeper? He could have sworn he sounded deeper.

"What?!" Mabel blew a ridiculing raspberry his way. "There _has_ to be a relationship here."

"No," Ada interjected. "There isn't. I-I'm Ada, and I take it you're the kids Ford spoke of."

That last statement earned looks from Dipper, Mabel and Stan. Ford knew he would have to explain a lot later, to both sides of the argument, but for now, he just let them meet. Slowly Dipper came up and shook Ada's hand, as did Mabel. Stan waited until the kids were done meeting Ada and shook her hand in a lukewarm manner. The handshake he gave her was what the judges from Ford's many years in science fair knew as the "dead fish handshake".

"Stan Pines, nice to meet you," Stan deadpanned.

"Hm," Ada hummed, letting go of Stan's hand, "he never told me he had a brother. "

"Yeah...I'm sure there's _lots_ of things Sixer didn't tell you."

"Stanley-"

"No, it's fine," Ada assured Ford. "I can still get to know him even if you failed to tell me."

This worried Ford. Ada wasn't really one to be all understanding and nice like this. It was clear that she had trust issues, given the events of the past three days. She didn't let Ford in as easily as she did the family she barely knew. Something was up with her, and given the events of what was now a couple hours ago, Ford knew Ada was probably vulnerable. He couldn't help but think about it as the kids went back upstairs and Stan and Ada held conversation. Ford didn't think himself to have another role other than go back to the basement and let Ada mingle. Perhaps Dipper would come down later and give him company.


	7. Chapter 7

"You're an ex-con?"

"Sure, if you wanna call it that."

Ada nodded for a moment before opening her mouth to ask Stan another question. Nothing came out. She couldn't think of another thing to ask. There were many routes of conversation to take when you talk to an ex-con. But how much of it would be pleasant?

"I've been to jail once," Ada admitted. "I was in, like, Salt Lake City, and these cops came and... yeah, you know the rest. I was in for a couple weeks."

"Heh. I was in Colombian prison for a year."

Ada's eyes went wide. "A year?!"

"Yep. Wasn't easy, but I got out okay."

"What did you do to get a whole year?"

Stan chuckled. "Well, I didn't do anything. Stetson Pineson had to take care of a certain llama that knew too much."

Ada quirked her eyebrows. "A llama?"

"You do crazy things to survive."

Ada went to respond but was interrupted when Dipper and Mabel emerged from the screen door and onto the front porch. Mabel was dragging Dipper by one hand, and she had the absolute brightest smile Ada had ever seen a person have. All that bright energy that practically radiated from her was directed at Ada.

"Grunkle Ford wants to talk to you," Dipper explained.

"In private," Mabel tacked on, whispering.

"He says it's urgent, so you better go quick."

Ada stood up, and bade Stan a small goodbye before crossing into the threshold into the gift shop.

"Have fun, you two!" Mabel called from behind her.

"Will do," Ada called back over her shoulder. She smiled to herself. How could these kids and this old man be related to someone as complicated as Ford?

Down the elevator she went, and Ada found Ford waiting for her in the study. He didn't even greet her when she got off the elevator. It was clear to Ada that he had been distressed again. Papers were strewn all throughout the room, books were open to random pages, but all of it was compiled into a giant collection of papers plastered onto the mind encrypting machine.

"Ada, I've been doing some calculations. Bill is returning, Ada, and this time he will be very much more powerful."

Much more powerful? What power did he hold before this? Ford looked her straight in the face when he said that. And it's there that she saw it- that panic, that clawing desperation that hopes that he's wrong, that pain that he might be right, etched right into his face. Ada felt sympathy flood her person, but chose to not express it.

"So, what's the game plan? What are we gonna do about Bill?"

A harsh exhale, followed by a soft inhale was her response. "While I would ward this place against Bill's tricks like last time, I'm afraid it's not enough."

What last time?! He acts as if I know what's going on...

"Ford, why didn't you just talk about this to Dipper?"

Ford's face scrunched up into a grimace Ada hoped to never see again. "Because, Ada... I'm afraid that Dipper may be the cause behind Bill's return."

This blasted accusation...

"Ford! That is a terrible thing to think of someone as young and as bright as Dipper!" Ada didn't feel like causing outrage, not after she had done so well with the other members of Ford's family.

His face tightened. He was ready for this rebuttal. "Ada..."

"No. Not this time."

"You didn't even-"

"Ford! You are accusing a young boy of returning some thing that's clearly bothering you. Whatever you and this thing went through is your burden to carry, so do not place it on Dipper!"

The room shattered. Silence blanketed over it, and neither of them spoke. Ada really didn't like arguing. She knew it was redundant and stupid, but what else was she supposed to do? Ford's mind had flown south for the winter, and someone had to call it back early. At least the old man got his thoughts out before he did anything drastic. Ada didn't know how to stem the flow of this kind of thinking. Perhaps there was no cure to the mindset. Was Ford really that shattered of man?

Ada sighed. She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again. No words would force themselves out. Instead, she left Ford alone in the study, hoping that he would emerge to the surface at some point, if he could stop accusing his family of things that he wouldn't get over, ever. Ada had to leave the poor man alone and let her dangerous mix of sympathy and irritation settle in her stomach.

When she returned to the ground floor, Mabel was there to greet her.

"So...," the young teen drew out, the smugness in her voice practically dripping off of every word. "Did you and Grunkle Ford talk?"

Ada's lips tightened. "Yes."

"Aaaaaaand?" She was burying the lead quite thoroughly.

"We talked and you may not see your uncle for a while," Ada said, trying to keep herself composed. She would not snap at Mabel.

"Oh, come on! There has to be some more details!"

"There's a reason he wanted to speak to me privately, Mabel."

Mabel pouted. "Fine, but someday you're gonna tell me what you and great uncle Ford discussed!"

"Fine."

A couple hours later, Ada had cooked for the whole family, including Ford. Everyone praised her cooking, just as Ford had done. Similar tastes. Ada chuckled at how they all enjoyed bacon and (barely) burnt pancakes at the same time. Breakfast at night was Ada's speciality. Most of the time they ate in silence. It wasn't awkward, it just felt tense. The family just looked broken. From Mabel's glances at Ford and Stan's glances to him, it seemed like Ford was the nub of an issue here.

Once the family was done eating, they all thanked Ada and proceeded to their beds. Ada, knowing she probably didn't have a room anymore, flopped down on the couch outside. Sure, it was hot and uncomfortable, but it was a heck of a lot better than Stan's armchair. Tomorrow would get better, Ada just knew it.


	8. Chapter 8

The Thursday morning Ada woke to was not a pleasant one. She had woken to the pouring rain spraying all over her. The cold sensation was familiar to her- from her brothers dumping buckets of water on her as a means to wake her up when she was younger- and it wasn't pleasant. Ada didn't like to think about her brothers. They brought painful memories to mind.

The rain must have been going on for hours, for when Ada woke the ground was soaked. Mud made up the ground where dirt used to be, and Ada had contracted a cold. That's what she gets for being out in the rain so long. She sneezed, and from there her sneezing persisted. Ada stood up from the couch and entered in the Shack from the cold outside to a warm inside.

The dead silence was eerie, yet appropriate for such a creepy shack.

"Hello?" Her words carried out but died in the stagnant air. Strange, she thought. They would all be up by now. It's daylight.

Ada peeked down the hall, and all she was able to hear was the distant rumble of someone snoring- probably Stan. Not wanting to go down the hallway, Ada sought out to busy herself with the task of cooking. However, upon arrival to the kitchen, she found that there was no food in the Pines' kitchen. She could go to the store. Albeit she had no clue where one would find a store; the only view Ada had gotten of the town was in the snowy dark.

Still, she surmised, can't be hard with a town this size.

So it was time to go out to the store. With a loud sneeze she set out to find her shoes. Then Ada realized she was already wearing them. The sickness must have been making her memory foggy.

Ada went out the door and strayed off into town. That rain that made Ada sick had let up. The morning was much colder from the rain. A sickness welled up in her chest, threatening to burst out as a violent cough. She swallowed it, not wanting to disturb the peace that was a petrichor-ridden Gravity Falls.

Once Ada stumbled across the town in question, then came the task of finding the actual store. However Gravity Falls could easily be conquered by the fact that everything was labelled so obviously you'd have to be oblivious to miss it. The store was easy to find, and Ada was going to buy her things in no time. However, there was one setback- money. Ada spent the last of her money on a motel room.

"I need a job," Ada thought aloud. She did come to this town in search of work, and it was about time that she found it.

"But where does one find it?" Her doubt caused her to frown. Was work even easy to come by in this town?

"You can find work at the mechanic's garage," a voice spoke.

Ada turned her head to a familiar face. "Ernie?"

"The one and only. We're looking for a new hire."

"Don't you kind of need someone with experience?" Ada frowned again. She was ready for defeat.

"Oh, you're not gonna be looking at cars," Ernie said as he spit on the ground. "You'll just be manning the front desk. Gravity Falls is surprisingly busy work for mechanics and our old receptionist just quit."

She smiled undefeated. "When can I start?"

"Sometime next week. I'll iron out the details with my boss."

They bade one another goodbye and Ada ran out the store. She had to get back to the Shack. Her heart pounded in her head as she raced, all the way down Gopher Road and eventually on the front steps of the Mystery Shack.

"I got a job," she announced as she burst through the door.

"That's, uh, great news," Stan said from his place in the living room. Ada crossed the gift shop to find the lone man sitting in his recliner, watching some infomercial.

"Where is everyone?"

Stan shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "The kids are out at the arcade, and Ford's in the basement. Said something or other to me this morning about you, telling me some mumbo jumbo about the world ending or whatever. I didn't listen to him," Stan griped bitterly. Ada rolled her eyes. She didn't have time for Stan's whining about Ford.

"Well, I've got to go down to the basement and then I'm off to the mechanic's. I need to know when I start."

"Be careful down there with your boyfriend," Stan called. "He's on edge today."

"He's not my boyfriend," she called back over her shoulder.

Stan made a dismissive grunt showing that he didn't believe her. Ada punched in the code to the basement (Ford taught it to her briefly after he convinced her to be hooked up to the mind encrypting machine) and made her way down to Ford's second floor. However Ford was not on the second floor, but the third floor. Ada had never been to this portion of Ford's lab before. He was still a strange man with dangerous secrets, but Ada thought she had been allowed access into this secret threshold of his. How many others knew of his history with Bill? He certainly hadn't told Dipper that Bill would more than likely return. Did Ford really trust her?

The elevator doors opened to reveal a sleeping Ford, slouched over at his desk. He must've been down here all night. Scattered around the desk were a series of bottles. Ada picked one up and found that she couldn't read the label. There were a series of markings across the bottle that were absolutely indecipherable. They didn't look like any language Ada had ever seen. In fact, they didn't look like any language that you could learn on Earth. It seemed alien, these labelled bottles, and the small amount of liquid remaining inside was a strange color- a bright, glittering green.

"Ford?" Ada attempted to nudge him awake. Ford didn't stir. "Ford?!" He still wasn't responding.

Ada began to panic. This wasn't good.


	9. Chapter 9

After a couple hours of effort, Ford woke at last. He was groggy and discombobulated.

"Dipper? Y-you can't be down here, it's far too dangerous," Ford slurred, trying to sound authoritative and angry but his tiredness took him over. "Go back up-upstairs...and I'll tell you when it's safe."

"Ford, it's Ada!"

"Ada? What are you-" His sentence was cut off by his urge to vomit. Ford nearly collapsed in his effort to find the trash can and when he did, the results weren't pleasant. He nearly choked getting the alcohol out of his system. Ada held his arms still as he threw up, hoping that it might console him somehow.

"...You gotta tell me what happened here."

He straightened his back out, sitting on his knees. Ada sat with her back to his desk.

"A-after you left yesterday, I fell asleep and Bill appeared in my dream...," Ford explained but then trailed off.

"What was that?"

Ford's eyes fell to the floor and he tried to start his sentence again. "Bill appeared and, uh, he killed...," he trailed off again.

"Who did he kill, Ford?" Ada demanded, growing impatient.

Ford lifted his eyes, and Ada could see how tired they were. But above all they were sad. They were sadder than she had ever seen them previously.

"You," he admitted. "He killed you."

Ada sighed and put her hands on Ford's shoulders.

"This is the second time this has happened," he added.

She shook her head. "This isn't good. Why didn't you tell me the first time?"

There was a silence. She was surprised to not see tears in his eyes, but their absence was filled by an overwhelming graveness. Ford's emotions were often like that. Grave in manner, intense and hidden behind a mask that tried to tell you that he meant business. Ada liked to think that she had seen through his attempted stoicism and saw a new part of Ford. Ford thought that Ada was an ally, someone to be trusted, but also to be protected. She can't know too much.

"I need you safe, Ada," Ford finally said, through shaky breaths. "You're not safe among all this weirdness. Bill is out there."

"Ford, I am safe where I can do something," Ada protested. "Besides, I got a job in town. I'm settling here."

His eyes went wide at that. "No, no, no, no! You can't settle!"

Ada shushed him. "I'm pretty sure everyone on the ground floor can hear you with you shouting like that," she said harshly. "Now you need to sleep this off. Come on, we're going to bed on the ground level."

"And where will you go?"

"I am off to the mechanic's shop. That's where I'll work in the future. Stan's gonna be here, anyway, he'll get you whatever you need."

Ford groaned. "Did you not hear what I just said?! I am telling you, you cannot settle down here, Ada!"

"And I am telling you, Ford, that you are delirious and need bed rest," she snapped. "You said it yourself, you're just a paranoid old man, so let's go."

The two began to make their way to the elevator. Ford began to stagger, but Ada held him steady for the elevator ride. When they reached the ground level, she made no haste to drag him to his bedroom. They silently walked down the pitch black hallway. Rest was needed, and urgently. Ford collapsed on the couch he used as a bed. Ada sat next to him, and watched him drift off. He must have succumbed to exhaustion, because he switched from a paranoid old man rambling to a newborn baby, fast asleep and without any cares.

"Please let this just be the hangover," she hoped aloud to no one in particular.

When Ada opened the bedroom door to leave the room (and hopefully make it to the mechanic's garage), she was startled by a familiar face, her braced teeth brandished in an eager smile. Ada could almost touch the energy radiating off the girl.

"You and Grunkle Ford are adorable," Mabel said with an amplified tone. "You cannot tell me that you two aren't dating!"

"I'm telling you," Ada replied impatiently, "there is no romantic interest between us."

The younger brunette scoffed. She grabbed her wrist with those tiny little doll hands she had. Mabel made no haste to scurry up the stairs, pushing past her twin brother as she did so. She threw the older brunette into the attic bedroom, causing Ada to land on Mabel's bed.

"This is a judgement free zone, Ada. So now you can admit to me that you do like Ford!"

Ada rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure you quite understand," Ada replied. "It's not romance. Your uncle is currently...," she chose her next words carefully, "not in a good spot."

The explanation was awkward but it worked. Mabel frowned.

"I hope you work it out with Ford," Mabel said, almost bleakly. Ada was a bit stunned to find such a bubbly girl in such a dejected stare when discussing her uncle.

But before Ada had more time to ponder, Mabel's mood had already changed. Her lips were already baring the same smile she had seen earlier. Those little doll hands were holding out a poster, urging her to take it.

Ada took it from her. The poster advertised something called the Northwest Fest.

"What's a Northwest Fest?"

"Only one of the biggest parties in town! Everybody comes to this really fancy mansion and we get to be like fancy people for one night!"

"The whole town?"

"Yeah! My best friends are coming, Dipper, Stan and hopefully you. And maybe Grunkle Ford," she suggested. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

She smiled. It'd only been about a week in town and she's already been invited to the biggest party in town!

"Alright, I'm in!"

Mabel laughed delightedly. "Yay! Now let's hope you can drag along Grunkle Ford!"

"I'll make sure to," Ada assured her as she stood up to make her way out of the room. The mechanic's garage was still at the back of her mind.


	10. Chapter 10

When morning fell over Gravity Falls, Ada was sure to be up. The previous night's visit to the mechanic's shop had been successful; she was able to fill in for the former receptionist in a little over two weeks. Now that she had a pending job, she was able to focus on the other thing she had been looking forward to; the Northwest Fest. Mabel specified that she wanted Ada to negotiate with Ford and see if he could go. They both wanted Ford to go, just for different reasons. Ada needed that old man to see the light of day again, and to get out of the stuffy shack for once. It was obvious that his mental state was in some stage of decay from being isolated in the folds of his own thought process for too long. His own voice, his own presence, his own company had been the only thing entertaining Ford for so long that he needed something else to interrupt that constant stream of paranoid thoughts and negativity. In other words, Ford's brain was in desperate need of a vacation. She could only imagine that the weight of the black cloud hanging over his head was a hefty thing to carry.

On the other hand, Mabel wanted everyone to have fun at this festival. She had invited everyone; her family, her two best friends, and even people she just passed on the street, giving them all the same flyer advertising this party. It was the first Northwest Fest held since the Northwests had relocated to a more modest home after losing their house to Old Man McGucket- Preston Northwest would never live down something like that had his other family known about it- and the first time where the public was allowed. Now that Mabel and Pacifica were friends- at least in Mabel's book they were- she wanted this party to be wildly successful for her new friend, and they'll be inspired to throw more Northwest Fests for the town. The addition of Ford in this would mean two things; more people and more chances for Ada and Ford to _finally confess those pent-up feelings!_ It was too obvious to her that they were either dating or totally crushing. There was no way her post-preteen magazines were lying to her.

Knocking on Ford's door, Ada was surprised to find it unlocked. The man she'd came to see was passed out on his couch, exactly as she left him. Perhaps his hangover was sill wearing off. She was grateful for the shag carpeting, because it muted her footfalls as she made her way over to the couch. She shook him awake once, and no response. Twice, no response. The third time, he stirred a little. Two more nudges, and he was fully awake.

She made no haste to state her business in his room. "Are you coming to the party tonight?"

Ford stared at her for a moment, as if she were a stranger. Then, a look of realization struck him and he spoke. "There's a party tomorrow?"

"Yeah, Mabel told me about it. It's this giant party in town that everyone goes to annually."

"Annual parties? I wasn't aware of any-"

"That's not the point, Ford. The point is that Mabel wants you to come. More specifically, she wants us," she gestured in the space between their bodies, "to go together on account that she thinks we're dating. So, you coming?"

Ford's face set into a deep frown and Ada's heart began to sank. It would seem that her great uncle was going to decline this offer to give his brain some sort of rest.

"I'll have to think about this," Ford said after a long silence. "Tell Mabel I'm on the fence."

"You got it," Ada said, forcing a smile to mask the disappointment. _And also, you're coming to this party if I have to drag you by the ankles, she doesn't say._ She stood up, ready to tell Mabel exactly what she needed to- that great uncle Ford was in attendance. Ada closed the door, leaving an oblivious Ford behind. _The lie is gonna have consequences,_ Ada thought, _but at least his brain will get a vacation._

She figured the kids would be sleeping, so it was best to wait until they were awake. Ada meandered the shack until she found herself in the kitchen, where Dipper and Mabel were already waiting. Mabel practically bounced on her heels when she laid eyes on the person she'd been waiting for all morning.

"Ada! Did you ask Grunkle Ford?"

"I did, and Ford is definitely coming to this party."

Mabel smiled wide, showing off her braces as she turned to her brother. "I told you he was coming! You owe me five dollars, bro."

Dipper stared at Ada, and the gaze seemed to pierce her in a way she didn't understand. It was the same way Ford had looked at her when he told her about the dreams, disbelieving and uncertain. Ada held Dipper's gaze, while Mabel gushed about how cute Ada would look with Ford at the biggest party in town. She began to tune the girl out right before she said something Ada didn't want to hear.

"And of course we're gonna make dresses!"

She jolted her head, snapping back into reality. "Homemade dresses?"

Mabel nodded. "You can meet my girlfriends when they come over!"

Then, as if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Mabel gasped as if all the air had been sucked out of her lungs.

"That must be them! Come on, Ada."

Mabel and Ada ran out the kitchen, leaving Dipper by himself. The door creaked open, and Ada beheld two girls about Mabel's age in front of her. One seemed to be Japanese (or maybe Chinese?) and was short and delicate while the other was stocky and almost mannish. Both were carrying more craft supplies than Ada had ever seen in her life!

"Hi Mabel," the stocky girl announced, with a deep and baritone voice that surprised Ada when she first heard it. "Who's your friend?"

"Candy, Grenda, this is-"

"Ada," she said quickly, cutting Mabel off. "I'm Ada."

"She's Grunkle Ford's girlfriend," Mabel whisper-shouted in a not-so-inconspicuous attempt to embarrass Ada. She turned red at the thought, although she absolutely wasn't!

"Ooooooh," both girls awed in unison.

"Let's go upstairs and you can tell us all about it," Candy suggested.

The three teenagers stampeded up the stairs, while Ada followed at a calmer pace. Once everyone settled, Mabel began work on measuring everyone so that the homemade dresses would fit. Everyone was assigned a different task: Mabel cuts the fabric and picks out the colors, Grenda hot glues the Velcro strips in the right places, Candy makes sure the dresses don't fall off, and Ada was left to bedazzle both hers and the girls' dresses.

The three teens did not work in silence. Soon, the attic bedroom filled with talk about boys and Grenda's boyfriend, and Candy's long time crush, a seemingly ridiculous boy named Gabe Benson. While Ada was grateful for no awkward silences, she felt left out of the conversation. Ada didn't have much to say about hot boys because she didn't like boys. She'd been attracted to girls since she was 13. It was one of the paramount reasons why she couldn't be Ford's girlfriend. That, and between all the arguments that she and Ford have held, they wouldn't work well as lovers of their friendship was so unstable.

"So," Grenda said, turning her attention to Ada. "What's it like to date a guy like Ford?"

She froze. Did Ada really want to come out to these teenagers? It was always a gamble, because you never knew if they were okay with the idea of gay people. If they saw Ada differently, it would risk a potential friendship. It was exactly why she didn't say anything before, but Ada couldn't live in the closet forever.

"I, uh, d-don't, uh...," she stuttered, searching for the words. _I don't like guys,_ a voice said, her internal monologue speaking. _No, that might come off weird. I like girls? Nah._ She stared at the patiently waiting girls. _Come on, say something!_

Ada exhaled before finally blurting out, "I'm gay."

Silence fell over the room. _Good going, Ada. Just like when I told Harriet._ The girls looked at each other before looking at Ada, then back at each other.

"That's so cool," Mabel said optimistically, handing Grenda a freshly cut piece of fabric. "So you're definitely not attracted to Ford?"

Ada shook her head. "Afraid not."

"So have you ever dated?" It was Candy who asked this as she examined a newly made dress.

"Only twice," Ada admitted as if she hadn't admitted one of her biggest secrets.

"You have to tell us more," Candy begged as she handed Ada the first complete dress.

"The first girl was Shelby," Ada said as she fiddled with the bedazzler. "We went to high school together. She was a real tough girl, the only one on the wrestling team, actually. We weren't good friends before she found out I was gay but we became best friends after that."

Candy, Grenda and Mabel worked and listened in silenced as Ada wove her tale of the prom debacle. That's what she called it, at least. When Ada and Shelby went to prom together, most people didn't enjoy the idea of gay people at her high school. The girls were hurled insults for most of the night and Shelby dumped her publicly. Ada didn't really like to think about it, but it was better than talking about her second girlfriend, Rose. Rose was worse than Shelby by a long shot. Maybe Ada shouldn't have told them that she had dated twice.

"Yeah, it was pretty humiliating," Ada said as she laid a newly bedazzled dress on Dipper's bed. By the time she finished her story, all three dresses were bedazzled and ready to go.

"Aww, that's such a sad story," Mabel lamented. "Hopefully this party will be a million times better than that stupid prom."

"Anything is better than that stupid prom," Candy interjected as Grenda successfully applied the Velcro on her dress.

Ada had Mabel help her with putting on her dress. Unfortunately the Velcro on the dresses wouldn't be enough for Ada's bigger body. However Mabel solved the problem with the use of safety pins, lined down the back of the dress. The dress fit like a glove, but just barely. She smiled at her reflection when she saw the final result. The color was a dark blue dress with completely mismatched and askew rhinestones all over it. It was a simple dress, which was unusual for something of Mabel's creations, but it was perfect to Ada.

"Are we ready to go to the party, girls?"

"Ready," Candy and Grenda said in unison.

"Ready," Ada agreed.


	11. Chapter 11

**See bottom for notes.**

"Ford, I'm sick of the arguing." Ada stood in front of him, shameless in her homemade dress. "Please just come to this party, for your niece. She's waiting."

Ford unfolded his arms, allowing them to drop at his sides. He let out a large sigh, and turned away from Ada.

"It's awkward enough to be around Mabel. I don't want to socialize with anyone laying beyond that door. I need to stay vigilant. Bill is still coming."

She shook her head. There was no getting Ford out of this, clearly. Her heart sunk and dropped into her stomach, settling like a heavy stone of failure. Ada turned to leave, to go tell his great niece that he wasn't coming because a figment of his imagination is making him stay. She'd understand, she thought. Mabel knows her better than I do.

The door shut behind her. Ford had closed it behind her, and suddenly the lie Ada had attempted to make up seemed to be in vain. Maybe this stuffy old man wasn't worth too much of her time. Well, his family certainly is. God, that's sappy. She was oblivious to what happened just moments later behind her. As Ada walked awkwardly (because her dress was tighter than a wetsuit) down the hallway, Ford opened the door he'd just slammed for a moment, just to watch her disappear out the Shack's screen door before finally closing it.

Ada sighed heavily as she opened the back door of the El Diablo, squeezing in between Candy and Grenda. Mabel beamed at Ada, ready to await good news of her uncle's attendance to the party.

"Ford's not coming," Ada said monotonously. "He's um...just not coming." Her halting voice was only furtherly disappointing the young girl.

Indifference entered Mabel's voice. "Oh. I thought you said he'd be coming."

"Y-yes, I did, but-"

"You said he was coming," she said amplified and crossed we her arms.

Ada and Mabel broke eye contact when Stan began driving. Everyone was silent for the entirety of the car ride, until the car came to a stop when it was parked. The awkward silence broke at the sight of the Northwest's mansion. It was grandiose, but nothing like the last one, according to Mabel's testimony. Yet it was indeed tall and not affordable to middle class citizens, so yes, it was a mansion.

"Hot Belgian waffles," Stan exclaimed once they reached the inside. "Just look at all this decor!"

Mabel and her friends awed at the sights the interior had to offer. Ada had to say, she was impressed with the whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling. The rest of it was just standard rich people things. She had dated someone with a house this big, an interior design like this one. Back then, Rose seemed to have it all. Now, she's just a memory kept secret.

"Ada, you have to meet Pacifica," Mabel exclaimed as she dragged Ada over in the direction of a blonde girl with a bright blue dress.

"Pacifica!"

"Mabel!"

The girls attempted at a hug, but shook hands instead. A hint of a smile appeared on Ada's mouth as she saw a tinge of red on Pacifica's cheeks. Either Pacifica was really embarrassed at the fact that she didn't get a hug or Ada wasn't the only one here with a thing for girls.

"Ada, this is Pacifica. Pacifica, this is Ada!"

"Hi," Pacifica greeted haltingly. "Welcome to the party."

Mabel could obviously sense the discomfort in Pacifica's voice. "Let's go find Candy and Grenda," she said as she took Ada's hand. "I'm sure Grenda's off with...with Marius."

Ada still found their encounter strange with Pacifica. She replayed the events over in her mind, making sure to not get distracted by her dress, which was chafing at her legs. The material was blindingly uncomfortable, and Ada developed a gait from it. She waddled, as if she were a penguin, shifting back and forth on her legs to try and make the harsh fabric not brush so abrasively against her sensitive skin. She could only walk to a certain speed, which caused her to trail far behind Mabel, who was getting faster and faster in the crowd. Eventually though, she stopped. There was a congregation of people in front of the major staircase, directly across from the main entrance. Up at the top of the stairs was a woman, with pale skin and blonde hair to match. She seemed timid, judging by her body language, holding a microphone up to her lips. She spoke uncomfortably, a long rant about how the Northwests were indeed the best citizens in Gravity Falls. Ada studied her. Her appearance, her face, was- how could Ada say it any other way- attractive. Suddenly she stopped trying to adjust the severely uncomfortable material and stood up straight. She became self conscious and listened quite attentively to this near-mesmerizing woman at the top of the staircase. Every word seemed fascinating, though she spoke in very plain terms. Her awestruck demeanor gave way to a realization that Ada would quickly approach- she was in love again.

It almost made her smile, despite her stiff upper lip appearance, to think that she was in love again. In love. With a woman who was shy and awkward, sheepishly trudging through a speech that made her family look good. I don't think she wants to be up there, Ada thought. She's probably wanting to get out of the spotlight and go back to her room. She probably draws or paints in her room, and has a lot of them displayed privately. Or maybe she has a typewriter, and she writes with it. She hadn't even caught herself fantasizing when the speech ended and she was staring airily at where the woman had been a few seconds ago.

"Ada?" It was Mabel who had tugged at her arm, pulling her out of the daydream.

"Who was that," Ada asked too loudly, too quickly. "That woman at the top of the staircase, who was she?"

"Erm..." she thought for a moment. "I think she's related to Pacifica."

"I have to find out her name," Ada exclaimed. "I need to talk to her!"

She abandoned Mabel in the middle of the crowd, navigating it to find her. That blonde hair. It had become iconic in the few minutes she had seen it. Ada was confident that she would recognize it anywhere. Anywhere at all, she would see that blonde hair and assocaite it with that woman.

"There," she nearly exclaimed aloud as she spotted the woman, by the punch bowl. Ada made absolutely no haste to walk over to her. The woman chuckled nervously at her when she got close, and Ada laughed, too loudly, too ostentatiously. She knew she was screwing this up.

"Hi," Ada extended her hand out to her. "I'm Ada."

"Iris," Iris replied as she shook Ada's hand limply.

"Iris," Ada repeated. "I like that name."

 **The hiatus is over! Sorry if this chapter was a little rushed at the end, I've been dying to introduce Iris for a while now. Thank you all for your patience.**


	12. Chapter 12

"I find Ada to be a...uh...p-pretty okay name too," Iris said as she attempted to pick up the ladle in the punch bowl. She could hardly focus with the only one she had noticed while delivering that speech standing right in front of her, much less coordinate her extremities. Eventually Iris' efforts had to cease because she was going to ultimately plunge her hands into the punch bowl if she didn't stop.

Ada looked down at Iris' struggle and grabbed the ladle. She poured her drink and passed in into her hands.

"Thanks." Iris smiled and Ada smiled back. Iris knew that she was definitely going to need to see that smile more often.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your speech," Ada blurted. She took a few short, quick breaths before continuing. "You seemed like you put a lot of thought into it."

Iris chuckled and traced the rim of her cup with a delicate finger. "More like I wrote it five minutes before I was supposed to give it."

"You didn't want to give it?"

"Oh no," Iris chuckled, trying to pass off as casual. "I didn't really want to come here." She really hoped her steady tone was convincing this girl that she wasn't nervous.

"I'm glad you did," Ada admitted automatically.

Iris tried to not laugh. She was just a nervous wreck, and it was charming. It was refreshing to see someone at this party that wasn't concerned with the money her family held.

"So do you live around here, Ada?" Conversation was crucial at this point.

"Uh, yeah. Just in town in this little shack- or maybe it's not a shack at all- I mean, it's called the Mystery Shack, but that doesn't necessarily constitute it as a shack, does it? I mean, that's such a subjective term, you know? I mean, I don't live in a hovel or anything!" Ada practically vomited her words as answer to an unbelievably simple question. It made Iris smile.

"Oh yeah, the Mystery Shack. I've heard about it, but have never been. I don't leave this place all that-"

"I'll take you!" Ada's sudden exclamation caused her to inhale sharply and clasp her hands over her mouth. Her every action was erratic, and everything she said seemed to be coming out of her beyond the pace she was able to think. Iris knew the exact reason, and frankly, felt charmed that she could cause someone to feel this way. While Iris felt weak in the knees herself, she had to be the confident one here if she wanted to get anywhere with this girl.

"Sure," she said breezily, shrugging. "When do you wanna go?"

All the color had drained from Ada's face at this point. She clearly did not know what she had gotten herself into. Iris knew that she had to take initiative.

"Why don't we just...slip out?"

Ada was clearly bordering on hysteria. "Y-you mean," she sputtered, "right now?"

"Yes, but Ada, if we're going to do this, I'm going to need you to act normal." She outstretched her hand, and Ada took it almost immediately. The girls navigated their way through the crowd and to the nearest exit.

As Iris twisted the doorknob to the outside world, she felt surprisingly cold air rush on top of her. Was it really winter already? She could have sworn it was just spring... oh well. 'Too long collecting butterflies,' she surmises. 'Too much time on the typewriter.' The moon was bold, but not bold enough to penetrate the thick trees above them. It was not the backdrop to a romantic evening. No, the night was apprehensive and heavy. She walked, with a girl she only just met. For all she knew, Ada could have been planning to murder her, out all alone in these woods. It seemed just like an excerpt from a horror movie. But Iris saw something special about her. She held no malevolence because she trusted this girl. She wasn't like other girls, who would normally try to act cool and calm, and wonder when they can cut to the chase- that pesky fortune owned by the Northwests. No, Ada was different because she put her emotions out on display . She sensed sincerity, and Ada did not want to murder her like a serial killer.

"It's a beautiful night," said Ada. Iris sensed the superficiality of that sentence. But she indulged the need for conversation.

"I haven't been outside in a while," Iris replied. "Kind of a recluse, y'know?"

Ada nodded. "I had a friend like that. He only went out once a week, and it was only to renew his stash of baked beans."

A smile played at Iris' mouth. That sounded like her, in a way.

"Was he nice, your friend?"

Ada tilted her hand from one side to the other. "I mean, he was okay, but pretty much only when he was sober- I mean, I don't hang around drunks or anything, if that's what you're thinking, because I totally don't-"

"Ada!" Iris grabbed her shoulders, stopping them both in the middle of the road. "I need you to act normal."

Ada inhaled, then exhaled. She nodded once again and Iris unlocked her grip from her shoulders.

"We're almost there," Ada said, as if apologetic.

Now it was Iris' turn to nod. They continued their walk in silence, their hands dangling dangerously close together as they did so. Iris could reach out and just grasp it, but no. It was too forward, at least for right then. 'Baby steps,' Iris reminded herself.

Soon enough, a sign was visible, displaying the words Mystery (S)hack. This must be it, the famous Shack everyone talked about.

"I think only Ford should be home," Ada said as they approached the front porch. "He'll let us in."

Ada couldn't even rap her knuckles on the door twice before the door swung open to reveal Ford- with a crossbow pointed straight at Iris' face.

Another chapter up! I apologise for its slight lateness.


	13. Chapter 13

See bottom for notes.

"Whoa, whoa whoa! What are you doing, Ford?!" Ada dashed in front of Iris, splaying her arms out in a defensive manner.

"Ada, get out of the way," Ford ordered sternly. "This will not be a pretty altercation."

"Uh, there will be no altercating of any sort! Put that thing down!"

Ford didn't flinch. "Ada, I am seriously warning you, get out of the way, I will shoot!"

Iris ducked away from the both of them, and stood helpless. She didn't know what to do. Ford followed her movements with his eyes, before finally putting his crossbow down. Ada rushed to Iris' side and asked if she was okay.

"Who is this," Ford demanded, "and why is she on the front porch?!"

"Don't get so crabby. This is Iris." Iris waved, but knew that this man would definitely not be friendly with her.

"Alright, get inside," he urged. "It's cold. Ada, I need to speak with you privately," Ford called from inside the house. She wanted to roll her eyes but for Iris' sake she decided against it.

"So this is the Mystery Shack...," Iris mumbled. "Seems rather, uh, homey."

She wandered into the living room, and stood there, awkwardly. Meanwhile Ada had her private conversation with Ford. It was held just at the foot of the stairs, concealed poorly by a flimsy wall. Iris could hear every word exchanged between them, and Ada knew it.

"Ada, you cannot bring unauthorized people home!"

She exhaled. "Ford, I'm not up for arguing tonight. All we plan to do is go through the Mystery Shack tour."

"She's a potential threat! Do you know anything about her?"

"I just met this girl. Of course I don't know much about her. But that's why we're going to do this thing, so we can bond."

Ford pursed his lips and peeked around the corner, to find Iris at the fish tank, tapping at the glass. She was tapping at the Pines family honorary lobster. Ada peeked around the corner with Ford and found the scene in front of her to be quite endearing. She smiled dreamily, losing touch with reality for a brief moment before Ford spoke.

"She's still a threat."

Ada groaned for a brief moment, frustrated, before finally conceding the argument. "This- ugh- it's not worth my time." She turned the corner and invited Iris on her tour through the Mystery Shack.

Ford knew that Iris was not to be trusted, and the fact that Ada was so enamored made her even more suspicious. Though he regretted his initially aggressive behavior after seeing the outrage it caused- perhaps he could have handled that a little better-, he didn't want to eliminate right away that she could have been a reason behind that inevitable return of Bill that he kept babbling about to Ada. He never did get a good look at her pupils. With that final thought, Ford descended to his lab.

Ada and Iris' tour of the Mystery Shack was short, to say the least. While Iris saw a sort of novelty in the strange shack of knickknacks and manufactured weirdness, it still lacked a certain magic that perhaps other tourists could see, but Iris couldn't . She was not a fan of the tour. It made Ada upset to disappoint her in such a way.

"Who's the guy that lives in this house," Iris asked when the two women found themselves on the porch's couch. "The one who answered the door?"

Ada paused. "He's...troubled."

"That doesn't answer my question," Iris retorted automatically. "What is his name?"

"It's Ford," Ada admitted after another pause, surprised by Iris' impatience. "Everyone calls him Ford."

"And he's troubled? What's his deal?"

"He keeps babbling about some...thing that apparently is going to make some big return any day now."

Iris hummed. "Sounds paranoid. What's your relationship to him?"

"Well, it's definitely not a boyfriend," a gleeful voice shouted from seemingly nowhere. It sounded like Mabel. Ada stood up and took a glance around before noticing Mabel- along with Stan and Dipper all sitting in an idling El Diablo with the headlights off.

"You two are so cute together," Mabel exclaimed as she hopped out of the car, Candy and Grenda in tow.

"Yes, you two can date!" It was Candy who echoed Mabel's statement.

Iris and Ada blinked at each other. Of course Ada wanted to date this girl. But Iris- Iris probably wouldn't even be interested. She probably had some male suitor waiting in the wings for her. What if she was engaged to be married or something? Ada had do admit, that would be a mighty disappointment.

"Dating? Pffft," Iris scoffed. "Nah, Ada and I are just buddies, pals, chums, you know?" Iris locked her arm around Ada's neck, and it nearly broke her heart to hear that. But still, she smiled.

"Well, I'm gonna have a sleepover with my friends, and we'll leave you and your 'buddy'," she said, putting that last word into air quotes, "To have the night to yourselves. Good luck."

With that, Mabel shut the door.

"You two are totally soulmates," Grenda said through the window.

With the girls gone, Ada began to tense up even more. "I-I bet they're just joking. They...really like boys, so..."

Iris raised her eyebrows. "I don't know. They seemed pretty intent on making us date."

"Are you really gonna listen to a bunch of thirteen year olds?"

"Why wouldn't you listen to a bunch of thirteen year olds?"

"You're not seriously suggesting that we-"

"Date? Sure, why not? Don't tell me that it hasn't crossed your little mind at least once."

"I-I mean, we- we're acquainted, but not like, lovers. Well, we could be, but I think that that might take some time and we'd need to, you know, get to know each other first and have some coffee and-"

"Here comes that nervousness again," Iris interrupted. She stood up. "Listen. Let's try it, and if it doesn't work out, no harm, no foul. Deal?"

Ada stood up and stuck out her hand, as if to shake Iris'. Yet Iris just shook her head and pulled Ada into a brief kiss on the lips.

"See you soon," Iris whispered in her ear before walking off to go home. As she watched Iris walk off, Ada could only think of one thing.

It was going to be very hard to focus on work tomorrow.

A/N: Hello, everyone! Thank you for your patience. I wanted to discuss a few things about the story you're continuing to read. Okay, so I was worried that some people may have seen this relationship between Ada and Iris a little forced or that they dated a little too quickly. If you think these things, then yes! You're absolutely right. I have a point in doing all this. Ada and Iris are going to be a big part of the story to come, and this portion of their relationship is supposed to be fast-paced. I've been planning this relationship for a long time, so I have a reason for making it so forced. I wanted to make this clear so the story wouldn't seem that it was going off the rails somehow. The next chapter will focus more on Ford and Ada's job. Again, thank you all for the reads, votes and comments!


	14. Chapter 14

**See bottom for notes.**

Stanley's lumpy mattress never felt so unwelcome to him. He knew his brother had this secret non-hatred for him that he had to work through, but there was no light at the end of the tunnel for the brothers. That was an inevitable truth. Neither of them would talk about it in the days to come, Stanley predicted. Neither of them would even look at the other long enough to face it. Ford's negativity slipped through every crack and made every effort to combat the distractions Stanley made up to escape it. Stanley stared at the ceiling, bearing the pain of both a heavy heart and a mattress that twisted his spinal column in ways that he didn't know could be twisted.

He kicked his thin blanket off of his person and sat up. Naturally, he slouched forward. It was a habit he'd developed over his life that Mabel tried her hardest to get rid of; Stanley Pines could not attract a lady if he was slouched over all the time, she'd say. He sat up a little straighter- working on his posture was something he told himself he'd work on, just for Mabel- and put on his slippers. He shut the door behind him as he went out into the hallway, and was met with the tearful face of Dipper Pines. Dipper may have not been good at concealing his emotions, but he did not cry often. Whatever he was crying about must have been serious.

"Whoa, whoa, kid! What's wrong," Stan asked.

Dipper hiccuped, trying to speak over a sob. "Grunkle Stan, you gotta help me out. I went down into the basement to see Ford, and...," he paused, clenching his fists. "I don't know what's wrong."

"Alright, alright. We'll take care of it. Where's your sister?"

"Mabel's with him right now."

Stan nodded. "Let's go."

The two of them proceeded down the elevator Stan had been inside so many times, trying to bring an ungrateful brother back from a sci-fi dimension. Stan sighed, looking at the emotional wreck that was Dipper Pines. He was trying to contain himself, but tears kept slipping through his clenched eyelids and sobs kept escaping through tightened lips. He was simultaneously whispering something to himself, something along the lines of 'I can't believe it' and 'this isn't happening'. Finally, those elevator doors opened.

Stan found his brother slumped over on his desk, with various empty bottles surrounding him. Mabel was standing off to the corner, looking just as tearful as Dipper.

"Grunkle Stan," the girl cried out. "I don't know what happened! Dipper came down here and then he came back up and I went down here and saw him like this and-"

Stan shushed Mabel. "Kid, we're both equally clueless. Let's get some answers, huh?"

He lifted his brother by the shoulders, and managed to get him slumped in his chair. Ford appeared to be severely unconscious or even asleep. This situation brought Stan back to his (somewhat fuzzy) memories of his days when he ran with criminals, when he was a criminal himself in the 80's. Stan had no medical expertise, but it was the responsibility of everyone in that particular gang to make sure they knew how to check vitals. If an invaluable person happened to get hurt, they had to know how to ensure they would live without the help of hospitals. He pressed his fingers to Ford's neck. A knot untangled in his chest when he felt Ford's sluggish pulse. His skin was clammy and his breathing was labored. Stan knew what was causing this and knitted his eyebrows, wondering how he was going to explain to a couple of 13 year olds that their uncle had a drug overdose.

Stan exhaled. "Kids, I think I know what's causing this."

Dipper nor Mabel spoke a word, just sat in apprehension. Stan shifted his weight from foot to foot, making time to come up with a lie. _They're not stupid,_ he thought. _Dipper's got a big brain and Mabel's got intuition. They'll figure it out eventually. Dead end._

"I can't put this gently, okay? Your Grunkle Ford overdosed on drugs."

A loud gasp escaped Mabel's lips as she clutched onto her brother for support. "Is he dead, Grunkle Stan?"

"What? No. He's gonna be okay, but he's definitely going to need to go to the hospital. Dipper, can you open the elevator door?"

Dipper obeyed his uncle without a word. Stan saw pure shock in his face. _He's a strong kid. He'll conquer it eventually._ Mabel sat, shocked at the recent news. Tears ran down her face, but it didn't seem that she had the strength to cry. It was the responsibility of her uncle to comfort her, but not right now. He placed a large hand on her back and crouched to her height.

"Hey, Mabel. Stanford's gonna be fine. But I need you to do me a favor."

She nodded and wiped away some tears with her sleeve.

"First, we need to call Ada. She's at the mechanic's shop. Second, we need to call McGucket. His number's written down and on the fridge door. Do you think you can do that?"

Again, Mabel nodded. He gave her a bright smile and straightened his back out. It made Mabel's frown turn into a sad smile. _Take what you can get,_ Stan thought. Now was the task of carrying his brother to the elevator. With Dipper's help, Stan was able to wheel Ford's unconscious body out of the basement and to the ground floor. Mabel raced to the phone in the kitchen as fast as she could, while Dipper and Stan laid him down on the living room chair. There was a long silence between great uncle and nephew. It only grew stronger when Mabel came into the room and sat next to Dipper. He embraced his twin, however unrequited. The seemingly eternal silence was broken with the arrival of Fiddleford McGucket.

"Stanford!" It was McGucket who shouted his friend's name. He got a close look at his friend, perching on the tips of his toes. His beard hung down in Ford's face.

"Get away from him," Stan said and shooed him off. "I need you to pay for these hospital bills!"

Fiddleford nodded. "Anything for Stanford." His voice was suddenly solemn, so solemn that he nearly lost his accent in speaking.

"Come on, let's get him to the car."

One (rather cramped) car ride later, Ford was checked into the hospital. The doctors explained that he'd be okay, but will need to stay for a couple weeks at the very least. The twins, Stan and McGucket stood in silence. Dipper, once again embraced his twin and this time it was requited. It was immediately disbanded as soon as Fiddleford tried to join in on the hug. Soon, they overstayed their welcome and had to go wait in the lobby.

"Where's the tall one?" Fiddleford spoke eventually. "She's always mean to Ford and I hear she likes girls."

Mabel snickered. "You must mean Ada."

He nodded.

"It's strange, because I called her and told her it was urgent. She should be here by now..."

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about it. We've gotta get back home anyway," Stan said, shrugging. He stood up. "Come on, kiddos. McGucket, are you-"

"I got it, Stanley."

He nodded and left, the kids in tow. The car ride back was silent. To Mabel, the mood was far too heavy to be looming over everyone. She told herself, _Grunkle Ford'll come around, he'll wake up and he won't be so obsessed with Bill._ The hope was false but it brought a smile to her face. She decided to pass it on to Dipper. He didn't have the same reaction.

The family got back to the Shack, and Ada was still not home.

 **A/N: I didn't want a chapter that focused entirely on Ada after the last chapter was completely about her. Thank you all for the support!**


	15. Chapter 15

Morning had arrived by the time Ada got off work. It wasn't that a secretary at a mechanic's shop had that much work to do in a sparsely populated town; it was that her coworkers wouldn't allow her to leave. As Ada discovered, the mechanics she was working with were belligerent and argumentative. They wouldn't let her leave because their argument (the argument about whether or not they should offer service to the manager's wife) was so important that it had to block the only exit to the shop. The manager eventually came out, tried to break up the argument, but ended up being yet another obstacle blocking the exit.

However, her late arrival didn't explain why she didn't answer to Mabel's call to go to the hospital. That, she felt she should be ashamed of, but wasn't really. Her reason for not going was named Iris. 'In a relationship, especially a newly formed one,' she thought to herself, 'it's traditional for the two parties to see each other regularly. Even in the workplace.' Iris had visited to see Ada, and Ada alone. One mechanic in particular, Oliver, had creeped up behind her and called her 'babe'. While Iris struggled to find a comeback or explain that he should really back off, Ada stood up to him. She shoved Oliver off of her and quite literally dragged him away. Twenty minutes later, Mabel's phone call would come, but she wouldn't quite hear the instructions to go to the hospital when Iris is begging her to continue kissing. Ada had no idea of what Ford had done.

She spent a good two hours total with Iris. Ada couldn't say she regretted it, but Mabel would certainly be furious at hearing the explanation. With her moral compass already pointing steadily to the south, she decided to come up with a more noble excuse. 'I was doing work? Nah. Too transparent. Fixing a car? She knows I'm a secretary! There was a fire?' The consequences of lying were no stranger to her, but it was out of necessity.

Cigar smoke and tension were the two first things she sensed upon entering the Shack. The first sign of life was Dipper, sitting on the checkout counter of the gift shop, using an inhaler.

"Dipper, you're asthmatic?"

He shook his head. "Only when Grunkle Stan stress smokes for two hours straight."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Stress smokes?"

"Yeah, uh, it's pretty self explanatory."

Ada nodded. "Where's your sister?"

Dipper nudged his head toward upstairs before taking a big puff from his inhaler. Since he wasn't asthmatic, whose inhaler did he take? She concluded that it was best to not ask too many questions and go confront Mabel with lies.

Once she reached the top of the stairs, she heard a shrill voice. "Who's there? Don't come in!"

"It's Ada, Mabel."

There was no response for several moments before Ada finally forced herself in Mabel's room. Mabel was on her bed, crouched down with her face buried the head of her sweater. She could only see the signature butterfly clip in her hair.

"Mabel's not here," she lamented to no one in particular. "She's in Sweatertown."

"What?"

She didn't respond, but rather gave a whine similar to a wounded animal. Ada knew it was her job to comfort Mabel, to tell Mabel that it was all okay and that she shouldn't worry about what was bothering her. But she didn't feel that her words would help her. Even though Ada should have, the situation was foreign to her. So, she sat in silence on Mabel's bed, hoping that her presence would be appreciated.

It wasn't.

Ten minutes must have passed between the two young women, with Mabel wept softly into her sweater and Ada sitting, realizing the guilt she didn't feel. The tension between them could break even the sharpest of knives clean in half.

"Why didn't you come to the hospital?" Mabel stared up at her friend, her eyes still brimming with salty tears. Her face was still red, lips quivering, ready to sob again.

Ada's lies soon became useless when actually asked to step up to the plate. None of her excuses seemed like eligible options except one: the truth. She recalled the time she first came out to her youngest brother, Thomas. That was the winter that Ada got her first kiss with the girl next door, Ingrid. She and Ingrid had to be about 15 when they snuck back behind the shed in Ingrid's backyard. Thomas had caught a glimpse of the girls behind the shed, but had not witnessed the kiss. Later that day, he asked what business Ada had back there. After being unable to come up with a lie, she explained to Thomas that she didn't like boys. He took it well, thankfully. She found herself in a similar situation 12 years later.

"I...I was with Iris," she said, wincing. "And also at work."

"You said you'd come."

"I did, but I got a new girlfriend and the mechanics were using my desk phone all day long and-"

"Ford overdosed on drugs. He's in the hospital now."

"WHAT?!" She was either going to kill Ford the next time she saw him or confine him to house arrest to ensure that he never leaves again.

Mabel nodded, her sadness transforming to anger. "He could have died! But your crush of the week is obviously more important to you. Who's your new girlfriend?"

"Iris, from the party."

"I thought you regretted your dating history, Ada."

"I do, Mabel, but she's my chance to start over."

"Whatever. Go be with your girlfriend or whatever. She seems nice." Mabel was rapidly getting up to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Downstairs to watch Ducktective. Feel free to come along if your girlfriend doesn't hold you up."

Shocked and upset for making Mabel upset, Ada's first instinct to apologize. But how do you apologize for something you don't regret? She couldn't show Mabel that something like this would never happen again. She couldn't ensure Mabel that she would change for the better. Ada knew that she got carried away when it came to dating; she usually justified it by using rhetoric. 'Who doesn't get carried away when they're in the honeymoon phase,' she thought to herself. 'It's just a natural phase of falling in love.' So, instead of apologizing, Ada sat alone in that dusty attic, waiting for the storm to pass.


	16. Chapter 16

Even with a plot as gripping as that of Ducktective's, it would not distract the Mystery Twins from their current problems. Dipper was seated by his sister, bolt upright, nursing an inhaler like there was no tomorrow. He couldn't take inhaling Stan's cigar smoke anymore. Mabel, on the other hand, did not appreciate Ada's seemingly voluntary ignorance toward her great uncle's comatose state.

"Hey kids," Stan grumbled, coming into the TV room.

Dipper coughed. "Have you finally stopped stress smoking?"

He perked up his eyebrows, trying to force a flippant smile. "Eh, yeah," he said, his voice coming out much more serious than expected. "They wouldn't sell me any more."

Taking one more puff of his inhaler, Dipper finally retired the thing in his back pocket. "Grunkle Stan, I need to talk to you."

Stan nodded and they both made their way out of the room without Mabel noticing.

"Something happened to Ford down there that caused him to go into that coma. We have to get to the bottom of it."

Stan shook his head. "Kid, I'd love to, but we're on a schedule here. Do you not recall that we're on winter break? All of us need to get back home soon."

Dipper had completely forgotten it was winter break. But he chose not to acknowledge it in front of his uncle. "That's not for another couple days, we still have time. Come on, we've got to get to the vending machine!"

Stan obliged and followed his nephew around the house, going the roundabout way to the gift shop. They didn't want to disturb the forlorn Mabel staring at Ducktective.

"Dipper, you know we might not find anything?"

"Ford sent himself into a coma for a reason. We're bound to find something."

Stan sighed, though internally. He didn't like seeing his nephew follow a cold trail, especially one that concerned his brother. Dipper often praised his brother to be some kind of genius, and while Stan couldn't argue that Ford was smart; he also knew that his brother was a sort of over reactor. It was a less guilt-inducing way of saying that Ford was borderline insane. Stan didn't know what he'd do with himself if Dipper followed that same path.

Neither of them recognized Ford's lab the last time they had seen it. Stan stood corrected; maybe they would find something about Ford that wasn't entirely linked to paranoia. Some glaringly obvious bottles laid strewn on the floor. It was quite obvious that its contents weren't meant to be consumed, because it had three large, cartoonish Xs across it.

"Grunkle Stan, you might want to take a look at this."

Dipper held in his hands a used syringe. Stan's heart broke at the sight of it; of course his brother was using.

"Sixer, you're better than this," he muttered, taking the syringe from Dipper's hands and promptly disposing of it in the overflowing trash can.

"There's gotta be something sitting around here. If you look in his drawers, I'll look through his notes and maybe we'll-"

"Dipper, it's hopeless."

"What? Stan, you can't be serious! There's something here, in this lab, that will give us clues!"

"No, there isn't. We're never gonna find anything like this. Not while we're still, uh, grieving."

Dipper shook his head. Stan had to continue arguing with his great nephew why he shouldn't investigate Ford's case when he could've just picked him up and swung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. So that's exactly what Stan did. He carried his nephew out of the lab and back upstairs.

"We're leaving early. Go upstairs and get packed. I'll tell your sister."

"But-"

He turned around, which made Dipper shut his mouth. "Please," Stan said, bewilderment entering his voice. "We're out of options. It's clear that whatever Ford's doing, he's paying the consequences for it."

Defeated, Dipper retreated back up to his room. There, he found Ada, sitting on his bed. Her expression was vacant, almost trance-like. He was too blinded with frustration to see what was going on.In a haste, Dipper threw open the suitcase he'd taken with him and began stuffing clothes inside. His hat fell off without his knowing during the furious process. Ada didn't pay attention, as she was too focused on the thought of Iris and why she should feel guilty for what she did the day previously.

Dipper took Mabel's suitcase along with his own before leaving the room in a huff. Stan was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, ready to end winter break early.

"Ada, we're leaving," Stan called before closing the door behind the twins. Ada barely even noticed that she was once again alone in the house.

I felt that the ending was a little bit forced.


	17. Not An Update

This isn't an update, because I need to address something very important. Broken is officially a year old and I can't believe I've been writing this for a year!

Chapter 17 coming soon.

Thanks for all the support.


	18. Chapter 17

"Would you be interested in running away together?"

Suddenly, the euphoria of their new relationship left Ada's heart and was replaced with the cold and harsh winds of reality.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me. Do you want to run away together?"

Ada set down her beer and avoided eye contact with her girlfriend. She would be lying if she said that she had been asked something even close to this before. The euphoria and reality now came to greet one another face to face in a hostile manner.

"Where would we go?"

Iris paused for a moment. "I was thinking we could go cross-country and end up somewhere on the East Coast. The East Coast sounds nice."

The fact that neither of them had ever been to the East Coast became glaringly obvious.

"What states are even on the East Coast?"

"We could go to New York," Iris said a little too loudly. "My cousins go to New York all the time."

"Okay, how are we getting there?"

She shrugged. "We could get my limo driver to- no. No, they wouldn't like that at all. Hmm. Maybe we could borrow my dad's- no. Can't do that either, it's too risky, and neither of us know how to fly a helicopter."

"How about a car?"

Suddenly Iris grew quiet when she admitted that she couldn't drive.

"Well I can, so I'll do all the driving." Ada couldn't believe she was seriously considering this. She had a job. With Stan and the twins gone, the responsibility of paying Ford's hospital bills would fall onto her. Her car still wasn't fixed after all this time.

Yet, somehow, none of the things anchoring her to the town and some degree of normalcy seemed to matter. The prospect of getting away seemed nice, especially with Iris.

"I mean, Iris, I have responsibilities."

"So it's a no."

"No! I mean, I want to get away, but-"

"But what?"

"My friend. Ford. He owns this house. Right now he's in the hospital in a drug induced coma and there's no one around to pay the bills that'll keep him in that hospital."

"Done."

"What do you mean, 'done'?"

"I think you've forgotten. I'm rich. Let me make a little withdrawal from my bank and he'll be taken care of for a while."

"No, I can't let you do that."

"You're gonna let me do it. What other concerns do you have?"

"Iris, you're not gonna use your money just because of me."

"Watch me. What other concerns do you have?"

"I have a job."

"So?"

Ada didn't respond, but rather allowed Iris to make her own conclusion about the importance of employment. She figured that though she had a life of privilege, Iris would be aware that there were people outside of her isolated wealth that needed employment and didn't have money just lying around.

"I understand that you've got stuff anchoring you here, Ada, but...I want out of Gravity Falls. It's boring here, there's nothing for me to do but look good for the Northwest family."

Though she was aware of the manipulative nature of Iris' mournful speech, Ada softened up a little. She understood yearning for escape. She'd felt the penetrating toxicity of escapism for years and finally broke free from the oppressive nature of that toxicity when she arrived in Gravity Falls. If Iris was undergoing the same oppressive cycle that she endured for so long, why should Ada watch as she experienced something that almost destroyed her, coupled with her sister's death?

"And?"

"I want to leave. With you. In two days."

Ada felt the reply of compliance come out of her mouth faster than she could deliberate what she was agreeing to.

"Okay. Let me get Ford's hospital bills assorted and quitting my job and stuff."

"You're the best. Meet me out here as early as you can with your car."

"Can do."

Ada listened to Iris ramble about how they were going places across the country. She tuned her girlfriend out, though, and reflected upon what she had just done.


	19. Chapter 18

Stanford Pines' consciousness returned in the early hours of the morning. The nurse outside his room was bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, trying to focus on the crossword puzzle in front of her. Her energy drink made her nauseous, and wasn't good for her pregnancy.

Relief came over her when he pressed the button that would summon her to his room. She dashed to the bed, where a panicked Stanford Pines was attempting to get out of bed.

"No, no! Sir, you cannot take off your monitoring equipment! You are not stable yet, you just woke up from comatose."

"I have to get home."

"Sir, please get back in bed!"

Eventually, Ford complied and allowed himself to be hooked on the monitoring equipment once again.

"You have to understand. There's someone I have to protect at home."

"Right now, our job is to protect you. Please, just let us do our job. We can probably contact somebody to get ahold of that someone."

"Please, do that, now! The phone number is-"

"Shh. We don't need the phone number right now. You can tell your family when they visit."

"My family! Where are Dipper and Mabel-"

The nurse resorted to pinning him to the mattress, an overexertion that her body couldn't handle against Ford's strength. The bigger mass would inevitably overpower the smaller mass. Soon, a doctor and some other, more capable nurses came to assist. They subdued Ford, and allowed him to drift back to sleep once again. He had a bigger sleep debt than an insomniac.

Ada never thought she'd see the day when her car was finally fixed. She remembered how it had arrived to the Shack- overheating, gears grinding, brakes failing. Now, she wouldn't have known that the car was originally broken if she hadn't lived through the experience.She breathed and traced her palms over the steering wheel, telling herself internally that she wouldn't regret this decision. She wanted to run away with Iris. Of course she did.

"Are you coming?"

"Yep," Ada agreed, and turned over the ignition. "I'm ready to leave."

They started down the road, and before were aware of it, Gravity Falls was in the distance. Iris had put back her seat slightly and eyed Ada. Ada took notice.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," she said genuinely. "Nothing would ever be wrong with this."

Right then, Ada knew that she was driving down the interstate with the world's biggest manipulator. She knew the hole she had dug herself into, but time had not yet run out for Ada. There was still a chance to placate Iris and eventually get herself back to Ford, because she needed to make herself available in case he woke up from his coma and came back to the Shack, or she would have to be the one to make the decision to take him off life support. She may have not felt guilty about not being there when Ford had first fallen into the coma, but the least she could do was be present from now on to ensure that he didn't use anymore. Plus, Iris' money could only take them so far in New York. She would have to leave her girlfriend behind and bury the memory of Iris just as she did Rose and Shelby.At least she could bury her memory in peace.

By the time the thought had occurred to Ada, she realized that she was hungry beyond belief. While Iris slept, Ada pulled over to a rest stop and acquired a few snacks. She sat in silence for a few minutes, and ate.

"We called the number you provided, Mr. Pines," the pregnant nurse explained, "but there was no reply. Do you want us to call another number?"

"Just get my brother on the phone." He provided a number.

Minutes later, Stanley was on the other end of the line. Ford wanted some clarity as to why he was comatose.

Stan sighed heavily. "Well, we found you down in your basement like that. I thought you overdosed on me."

"Stanley, I don't use drugs!"

"Sure you don't, Sixer. And you didn't just spend a week in the hospital in a coma."

He hung up the phone in a huff and shouted for the nurse, who he did not realize was just across the room.

"Mr. Pines, we're going to have to keep you for one more day."

"I need to get home."

"I'd get my medical license revoked, as would all your doctors if we let you do that."

After completing a few more hours of driving, Ada and Iris decided that a little motel in Ohio would be suitable to stay in for the night. They checked in- Iris was sure to ask for only a single bed in their room- and settled down on their single bed. As the TV emitted a dull roar, Ada and Iris laid across from each other, face to face. Iris seemed prettier up close. She would probably dream about this exact moment back in Gravity Falls.

"We're halfway to New York," Ada said, trying to mask the hopelessness her tone might have carried.

"Yeah. What do you want to do once we get there?"

'Turn around and never come back,' Ada didn't say.

"I don't know," Ada actually said. "What do want to do?"

"It's New York! There's loads to do! We could go to Times Square, the Met, Rockefeller Center, Central Park…."

Ada tuned Iris out again and listened to her ramble about New York. She looked cute when excited. Hopefully she would find somebody new in the big city and forget about the person that initially brought her there.

She was brought out of her thoughts via kiss. Ada loved Iris' kisses, and knew that she had the option to have them forever. Yet, the call to Gravity Falls was too strong. Ford was in need of companionship or at the very least someone to talk to, even if about the most meaningless topics.

Ada kissed back, probably more enthusiastically than before. Iris didn't care.

Sometime in the night, Ford attempted escape. He ripped all the IVs off of his person and made the monitors scream. As far as they knew, Ford flatlined. Yet, the doctors and trainee nurses found him in the hallway and wrestled him back into bed.

"Mr. Pines, we will have to place a guard outside your room if you do not comply."

"Fine then. Place a guard outside my room."


	20. Chapter 19

**Getting close to the end now**

Ada reached into her wallet while Iris wasn't watching; she was too busy chatting up the gas station attendant. There was nothing more than ten cents and a collection of bills. How was she supposed to pay for the gas currently being pumped into her car? Her near-millionaire girlfriend currently preoccupied with the topic of pet hamsters could probably help out if only Ada asked. Yet, the inquiry couldn't be made. She grabbed a few receipts that may look like money provided that the recipient had impaired vision and was under florescent lighting and slipped the wallet back in her pocket.

"Hey, I think we better hit the road," Ada said, bravado swelling. She made sure to keep her palm splayed over the circumference of the receipts as she slid them directly to the cashier.

"It was nice to talk to you," Iris said sweetly.

"Wasn't she nice?"

"Hmm, yeah."

She glanced back for a brief second- the bills still rested on the counter, exactly where Ada left them. The cashier hadn't paid any attention to her crime. Under normal circumstances, Ada would have wanted her fired for neglecting money just sitting out on the counter. Now she was grateful and made a run for the gas pump. In one swift motion, Ada was able to leave the gas pump dangling, its nozzle still dripping minute amounts of gas that someone else could deal with.

Ada peeled put of the gas station, and Iris was probably wondering why her girlfriend seemed so anxious.

"Where are we," Ada asked once the gas station became a recent memory and she began to slow down. "Last I heard, we were somewhere in Ohio."

"Still there," Iris said uneasily. "I think we're heading toward the state border now."

"Perfect. Should we camp out tonight?"

Iris traced Ada's collarbone, which made her shiver. "Definitely."

"Great," she said, shaking off the suggestiveness dripping from her voice. "Please turn on the radio."

Iris complied. "You change the subject now, but just you wait, Ada Freeman."

Ada nodded. She admitted, the words made her excitable but she reminded herself that a decision was made at the beginning of this trip. A big decision, where she was to leave Iris somewhere comfortable. But where could Ada leave her and get herself back to Gravity Falls on one tank of gas? That counterfeit trick could only work once- Ada's wallet was now nothing more than a flap of leather occupying space in her jeans.

'Impossible,' the voice of reason stated. 'You'll have to leave Iris at the border. She can get herself the rest of the way.'

Ada nodded, as if agreeing with herself, as Iris drifted off in the passenger seat. The boundless road ahead was going to take eons to travel.

Ford sat begrudgingly in his hospital bed, staring intently at the guard posted outside. He didn't think they'd actually put a guard outside his room- but when was a hospital known to bluff?

"I need to leave," he stated to no one in particular.

"Sorry, Mr. Pines, but you can't leave. Not now. Not today."

"I wasn't talking to you," he shouted irritably at the guard.

Ford had felt the plight of losing his mind previously. He'd felt it thirty years ago, and he felt it now while lying in a hospital bed, thinking he was going to die. Oddly enough, both instances in which he thought he was losing his mind were under the similar circumstances- Bill was a large factor. Ford wondered if he'd ever really learned his lesson after thirty years on the other side of a portal at Bill's expense.

"I'm sorry," he told the guard, and closed his eyes. Hopefully he would succumb to the call of sleep that was miles away.


	21. Chapter 20

Second to last chapter.

In the middle of nowhere, Ada and Iris had decided that they would park there and camp out for the night. They would sleep in the car, which proved uncomfortable, but they managed. As soon as Ada parked, Iris climbed in the back seat and insisted that Ada come with her. She complied, knowing exactly what to expect.

"You know you're beautiful," Iris told her, their faces inches apart. They could feel the other's breath on their lips. Ada avoided eye contact, not because she was bashful, but because she knew what Iris was doing to her. What was going on between them was only partially genuine.

"Kiss me," Ada said, her lips brushing against Iris'. Their lips pressed together in chaste, small intervals, but then they became more prominent as Iris grew more daring.

She needs someone to experiment with, Ada thought to herself.

Iris stroked her cheek, pressing deeply into one particular kiss. Ada found herself lying down completely in the backseat, staring up into her girlfriend's eyes. The car was small and space was limited, so they had to sit up in order to make their makeout session more comfortable.

Ada recalled the nights she'd spent with Rose in Utah. Those were balmy and hazy nights spent in her bedroom with the large oak doors, surrounded by soft lighting and clean sheets. They sipped screwdrivers and watched reality TV, which Ada could not watch to this day. Iris was almost as forward of a lover as Rose was. Rose would often imbibe too much, and become intoxicated, which made her frisky and handsy. When Ada and Rose kissed, the contact was fervent and electric. Fireworks produced less sparks. After those nights, Ada would often wake up the next morning in nothing but her underwear and a pounding headache. She would then spend all day recovering from the headache, only to repeat the cycle all over again.

After she broke up with Rose, Ada told herself that she'd never allow herself to be used by a wealthy girl ever again. Yet, here she was, parked in the middle of nowhere, making out with another wealthy girl. Where did she go so wrong?

They broke their kiss. Iris seemed as if she could have gone the entire night doing nothing but kissing and perhaps sighing out half-baked declarations of false love. Ada definitely would have gone along with it, but she stayed true to her plan.

"Let's go to sleep."

Iris sighed, exaggerated. "Alright, but in the morning, we get right to driving and we're going straight to New York."

"You got it."

They got their luggage and checked into the motel. Ada insisted that they go straight to bed to get the maximum amount of sleep available to them. She also needed time to find bus tickets; tonight was going to be as sleepless as possible.

Once Iris turned off the lights and drifted off to sleep, Ada waited. She was sure that Iris was asleep within an hour of waiting. Quickly, she made her way across the room to the complimentary notepad kept in the nightstand drawer. She wrote a note that she'd been mulling over for a while.

Iris,

Don't go looking for me, because you probably know where I am- halfway to Gravity Falls with no intentions of stopping. The least I could do was leave you with your dream, because our paths clearly go different directions. All the cash you have is in your suitcase, as well as the keys to my car. I know you don't know how to drive- just follow the speed limit, use turn signals and don't push too hard on the brake. You'll figure out the rest. It's been nice getting to know you.

Sincerely,

Ada

Though Ada hesitated, she tore the note off the pad and placed it on the nightstand, where Iris would inevitably look when she woke up. She placed the keys to her car in the suitcase and then left the room as soon as she could. Tears swelled to the surface and dropped out of her eyes little by little.

"Don't cry until you're at the bus stop."

The bus stop was close by, and Ada made quick work of buying herself a bus ticket using a quantum cut of Iris' cash. This bus would take her from Ohio to Montana, and then she'd figure out other means of getting home from there.

As she waited for the bus to arrive, Ada let out a good cry. There was only one other person who was witness to her catharsis- the ticket vendor.

"I know the sound of that cry," the vendor sighed, offering Ada a tissue to dry her eyes. "You just left somebody, didn't you?"

Ada nodded. "We were supposed to go to New York. But I have responsibilities."

"I get that. Yeah, I was just like you, honey. Young, pretty, in love. You are in love, aren't you?"

She sobbed harder. "Yes."

"With whom?"

"Her name is Iris."

"If Iris really loves you, she'll respect your decision. Now what I want you to do is sit back down and let it all out until your bus comes. It's clear you've got a lot on your mind and I'm not gonna stop you from letting it off your chest before going back to responsibilities. Good luck."

"Thank you."

Ada continued to cry and release any future regret she would experience later down the line regarding this decision.

Stan finally came for Ford. He came alone, though, because he didn't want the twins to witness another fight again.

"Where's the kids?"

"School. Let's go home."

Ford was checked out of the hospital and the guard was removed from his room. The second either man climbed into the Diablo was a mistake on both parts. It was Stan who was the first to explode, and Ford followed soon after.

"Do you even realize how scared I was that you'd died?! That you made a fool of yourself over something we defeated a few months ago for good?! That I was gonna lose you-"

"You already lost me, Stanley. I just happen to be in the same dimension now."

Silence.

They arrived at the Shack, where their argument continued when Ford attempted to go back down to the basement.

"No way," Stan shouted as he blocked the vending machine. "You're not going back down there for three more weeks, minimum."

"I'm gonna be all alone in the Shack for the rest of my life. You're leaving just as soon as you've fulfilled your charity case and Ada…," he trailed off, realizing that he didn't know where Ada was.

"And Ada?"

"I don't know where Ada is!"

"She's a grown woman, Ford, not your child."

He had been so caught up in his own drama that he didn't even realize her absence. Mortification came over him once he realized that he hadn't seen Ada in several weeks. When was the last time they spoke? What did they even talk about?

"I lost her, Stanley. You have to help me find her."

"Alright. Doesn't she have a job at the mechanic's shop?"

Ford nodded. "Excellent idea. Let's look there."


	22. Chapter 21

"She quit."

"What do you mean, she quit," Stan demanded.

Ernie shrugged. "Ada quit her job. She said she had to go somewhere. I've seen her type. They're freelancers. Too young to buckle themselves down into a career."

Ford shook his head. "No. I warned her! She can't just leave like that!"

"Ford, you gotta calm down. So she skipped town. It's not the end of the world."

Stanley's words were as shallow as they were unhelpful. Ford would have snapped right there and told Stanley why it was imperative that they find Ada. However, whining about the task was not going to help it progress.

"Where else could she have gone," he mumbled to himself.

"Let's just go back home."

Ford didn't argue this time- rather, he just helped himself into the passenger's side of his brother's car and allowed himself to be driven to the Shack. He realized how lonely he'd become once again, and his heart would likely decay once again as it was before Ada's impromptu arrival.

Imagine his surprise when he saw Ada passed out on Stan's armchair, in the depths of a restful sleep. To put his incredulity to rest, Ford knelt down beside her and took her wrist to feel for the one significant sign of life-the pulse. A pulse beat steadily beneath his fingers, and Ford took the hand he was now holding and kissed it. This gesture had no romantic implications hiding behind a mask of sincerely solemnity; Ford was glad to have Ada back.

"Hey, Ford."

Stan had called him from the living room.

"Hey, uh, when Ada wakes up, don't question her so much about what she's been doing or where she's been. I know you. You're gonna want to ask her a million questions. I've seen the two of you. She's bound to tell you over time."

Ford nodded. "I'll make sure of it."

The night Ada returned to Ford for good seemed like the one night of Ford's life in which he slept soundly. Stan left, knowing that his bond with his brother had begun to heal, even though full recovery would likely outlive both him and Ford. In the morning, Ada woke, and pulled out a beer from the fridge. Most would say that 7 in the morning is too early to drink, but given what Ada had been through recently, she felt she deserved some sort of reward. Ford followed suit with his own beer, and they sat across from each other, making sure to not make eye contact. Silence grew between them as their beers slowly emptied.

"Good to see you again," Ford said, after deciding that the silence was too awkward to bear. "I can't remember the last time we saw each other."

"At least a month," Ada replied, and sipped the last drop of her beverage. "You were out of it in the hospital last time I saw you."

"When I came to, I realized you were gone. Where did you go?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"What about that girl, Iris? I could've sworn I saw the two of you kissing."

Ada continued to avoid the subject. "I'm just glad I'm back," she said finally.

Once she stood up to dispose of her bottle, Ford immediately crossed the room to give Ada a large hug. She hugged back, even though she'd told him ages ago that she wasn't a hugger. They stood like that, for a while, in the silence and solemnity.

Ford didn't feel so broken anymore, but rather at peace with himself. Ada was the one thing he hadn't managed to lose. He made a promise at that moment, to keep Ada for as long as possible. She pulled him out of intolerable loneliness and into a more tolerable variety of being solitary. For that, he was grateful.


	23. Author's Note

Thanks for the support, it means a lot. There's not going to be a sequel, because it doesn't really need one. I might go back and edit some things later down the line, but for now the story is over.

Some cool people that need to be addressed:

Forrester96

AnimeMonkeyGirlFan

falcor-ravensong

Anyone who read/voted for this fic.


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